On 18 January 2021, a FEDAIISF delegation made up of Antonio Daniele (member of the national executive) and Claudio Leggeri (member of the provincial executive of Lecce, taking the place of the provincial president Pasquale Malinconico, unable to participate for family reasons), met the 'Regional Councilor for Health of the Puglia Region prof. Pier Luigi Lopalco.
The topics on the agenda were as follows:
- COVID-19 vaccinations of the ISF, state of the art.
- Regional directive to overcome the blockade of access to healthcare facilities for Scientific Representatives implemented due to the COVID-19 epidemic.
- Proposal of law for the recognition of the status of health profession of the Scientific Informant.
The Assessor gave us the necessary time to fully discuss the issue, paying close attention to our requests.
My colleague Leggeri underlined the persistence of the block on the registration of ISFs in the regional portal for COVID-19 vaccinations.
The Councilor intervened indicating that the specific item ISF was activated in the portal on the morning of Monday 18 January.
In this regard, as FEDAIISF Lecce, we have informed the Councilor of the collaboration between the orders of doctors, pharmacists, nurses and rehabilitation professions, together with FEDAIISF, in order to allocate well-defined days for the vaccination of all ISF, members of the Association and for non-members registered with it, as this method is considered more efficient than the single registration.
It is understood that those who prefer can register autonomously on the regional portal with the relative programming.
The vaccination of the whole category will allow a gradual recovery of information in the presence of all structures, both hospital and outpatient, and this will also be possible thanks to the vaccination license which will certify that immunization has taken place.
Having established the overcoming of the vaccination issue, we presented to the Assessor, prof. Lopalco, our Association underlining how by now the scientific representatives are no longer only of the drug, but also of the nutraceuticals and how the latter represent more than the 50% of the colleagues who work in the sector.
While the drug ISFs have rules and regulations both nationally and regionally, for these other colleagues we are in the most complete anarchy. We should also add that in recent years the world of pharmaceuticals has changed and laws 833/78 and 219/06, while remaining important, should be brought into line with current times.
New figures have joined the ISF, such as the KAM, the RAM, the MLS. But new private companies have also appeared, such as IQVIA, which, with their surveys, try to profile the doctor on the basis of their prescribing orientation, without giving information on the use they will make of this data. Technology has also introduced new methods of contact that must be disciplined.
Only the recognition of the Scientific Representative as a health professional can put order in this area.
The profession of informant should be recognized to allow the Region to monitor the communication flows of Pharmaceutical Companies so that these are in line with the regional directives issued.
At the same time, the recognition and discipline of nutraceuticals would make it possible to bring out of the underground a category of professionals that until now has been forgotten by everyone.
From here passes the right allocation of economic resources for sustainable and equitable public health.
We must leave behind the emergency legislation of the 90s, influenced by the corruption phenomena that came to light in that period.
The limit of 5 annual visits per clinician cannot be set indiscriminately; if they may be sufficient for an expired patent product, they certainly are not for therapeutic areas such as oncology, rare diseases, infectious disease or rheumatology, to name a few by way of example, where the patient must be monitored more tight, in his individual response to the drug.
With regards to the organization of access by the ISFs in hospitals, we have highlighted that, if an informant has to wait for the meeting time with a clinician, he should do so in a suitable room where he can leave his personal belongings in a locker, be able to take advantage of the toilets worthy of the name and rest if you need it.
Let's not forget that we are away from home for more than 8 hours and we have these human needs. The Assessor Prof. Lopalco showed interest both in the organization of work in the hospital environment and from a human point of view, declaring himself available to follow this path.
We greatly appreciated your willingness, making us ready, as an Association, to take charge of setting up these spaces dedicated to us.
Finally, Prof. Lopalco, acknowledging that a bill for the recognition of the ISF profession has already been presented to the council, deeming it lacking in some parts, declared that he would take charge of setting up a working group, which also involves two members of FEDAIISF, with the aim of drafting an exhaustive and all-encompassing law proposal on the matter, thus also making up for a national deficiency.
Related news: Puglia. Proposal for a regional law: ISF Healthcare Operators
Puglia region. The anti-Covid vaccination target has been extended to scientific representatives
