Pronto Soccorso – Emergency Department

The Emergency Department is an integral part of the Dipartimento Emergenza Accetazione (DEA) and it uses the cooperation of all the clinical specialities of the hospital.

The mission of Emergency Department is to “grant responses and prompt intervention, adequate and optimal for each kind of person arriving in the Hospital for urgent and emergency reasons” (S.I.M.E.U.).

The emergency is codified by 4 colours:

	Red code (emergency) given to people with imminent danger of death. It is necessary to have a prompt sanitary intervention to save the vital functions and  have immediate access to sanitary care.
	Yellow code (non-delying emergengy) given to people in critical conditions but not with imminent life danger. They have immediate access to the sanitary care, compatibly with other emergencies.
	Green code (postponable emergency) given to people with no acute health condition, withouth compromission of vital signs nor danger for vital functions. The waiting time may vary, the access to care is granted in the shortest time possible, but only after the urgent cases and giving priority to particular fragility conditions valued by the nurse. With equal code, the priority is given to kids, elderly people not self-sufficient and to people with physical disability or psychological distress.
	White code (not urgent) given to people that request sanitary care with no urgency and that should normally follow other sanitary paths (general doctor, pediatrician, specialist clinics, counseling etc.) The assistance is granted but the waiting time may be long and not predictable.

The Emergency Department is obliged to accept everybody 24/7 with the objective of:

• operate promptly and with high professional technical level on emergency situations,
• evaluate and advice people that need hospitalization in a Hospital Unit,
• evaluate people with minor patologies.

It is important to address oneself to Emergency Department exclusively in case of urgent needs to avoid inappropriate requests that slow down the normal activity. The Emergency Department cannot proceed with ordinary medical visits nor specialistic visits for sanitary investigation.

Payment of Emergency Room treatments for foreign citizens

The health system of Lombardy treats, in public hospital facilities and private ones that have an agreement, also foreign citizens who are in this region for different reasons.

The procedures to access the services and those related to payment of treatments depend on various factors, such as the country of origin, the existence of international agreements, etc.

Citizens who belong to one of the Countries of the European Union and Liechtenstein, Island, Norway and Switzerland owner of a EHIC (European Health Insurance Card) are entitled to health treatments  free of charge ,except for an amount of 25 euro (support for national expenses) at any Italian hospitals.

Foreigners in transit on Italian territory, for tourism, study or work, belonging to non E.U. Countries and members of Counties without international agreements, are legally bound to the payment of the whole sum for the treatments received, according to regional rates. Any treatment, including red or yellow codes, provided in the First Aid facility, is free of charge, and might be refunded by the Sanitary Institution the citizen belongs to.

The ASST del Garda has three Emergency Departments:

•      PS  Ospedale in Desenzano
•      PS Ospedale in Gavardo
•      PS Ospedale in Manerbio