One thing the Mafia is known for is its ability to spot and get in on good things. According to The Guardian, the latest good thing the Mafia has found in Sicily is privatized health care:
"A wave of deaths in Sicilian hospitals has highlighted a crisis in the island's health service, linked by a senior politician to the draining of public funds by the mafia.
"After drug trafficking, the control of public and private contracting is the second most lucrative activity for organised crime in Italy, amounting to a turnover of about €17.5bn (£11.8bn), of which the Sicilian mafia is responsible for €6.5bn.
"Sicily has about 1,800 private health centres compared with 150 in the rich northern region of Lombardy, said Mr Forgione. Such clinics offer government-subsidised services in order to reduce the workload for public hospitals. 'But that has diverted funds from public hospitals, which are falling into a state of disrepair,' he said. 'Sicily is the first region in Italy for the financing of private health centres and the first for patient deaths.'
"Mr Forgione, who was appointed to head the anti-mafia commission by the centre-left government of Romano Prodi, has said that investigating mafia penetration of the health business will be a priority in Sicily and Calabria. In 2005 Francesco Fortugno, number two in the regional assembly, was murdered by the 'Ndrangheta crime syndicate while investigating the awarding of hospital contracts.
'In Sicily, the mafia is not only investing in private clinics but is also involved in steering public health contracts towards friendly companies, said Mr Forgione. 'During the hunt for mafia boss Bernardo Provenzano it was even discovered that some Palermo neighbourhood bosses were themselves doctors or lawyers, part of a new mafia bourgeoisie.'"
Privatized health care - the Mob and the Tories agree, it's a good thing!
No comments:
Post a Comment