'I want to do my part' Argentinian doctors swap crisis at home for another in Sicily

When the Sicilian hilltop town of Mussomeli started offering abandoned homes for €1 in an attempt to breathe new life into a community facing a dwindling population, Erica Moscatello felt an immediate pull to the project.

- Lorenzo Tondo

Moscatello, an Argentinian national and distant relative of the revolutionary Che Guevara, uprooted her life from Tuscany and relocated with her family to the town of 10,000 people in early 2021.

"I was thrilled. The people were friendly and welcoming. It felt like living a dream," she said.

Moscatello's initial excitement, however, was hit hard when her son required urgent medical attention. She discovered the local hospital was struggling - the paediatric ward had just closed its doors, with the gynaecology and surgery departments following soon afterwards - and, like many medical facilities in southern Italy, it was on the verge of collapse.

Determined to stop a healthcare crisis in her new home, Moscatello embarked on a bold mission.

She contacted an old friend, who was the rector at the University of Rosario in Argentina, asking whether medical professionals in the South American country would consider starting a new life in Sicily, bringing their experience and expertise and, just maybe, saving the island's threadbare healthcare system in the process.

"In just a matter of days, we received an overwhelming 5,000 applications," said Moscatello, who now works as an ambassador for the Italian confederation of small-and medium-sized businesses.

Working with the local authorities, the field of applicants was whittled down to an initial nine candidates, but ultimately scores of Argentinian doctors responded to the call, fleeing the economic turmoil at home for a fresh start.

In their new homes they were hailed as heroes for helping to keep open medical facilities that would otherwise have been doomed.

"After the positive experience in Mussomeli, we have continued to receive hundreds of requests from other hospitals," said Moscatello.