Doctors and paramedics at one of Rome’s main hospitals, the Policlinico Universitario Agostino Gemelli, commonly known as the Gemelli, are wondering about their future and the future of the hospital. Reliable sources inside the hospital confirm that all the 5,000 medical staff received notification on 29 February that their contracts were terminated as of 1 March.

It would appear that the hospital, which is part of the national health structure and subsidised by Lazio but run by the Catholic university teaching hospital, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, is about to change hands and become part of a foundation. So far there are no details about the foundation, and staff at the hospital do not know who will be responsible for renewing their contracts, nor what the terms of renewal will be.

An extraordinary meeting of all medical staff is scheduled on 6 March. The Gemelli, which hit the headlines when Pope John Paul II was rushed there after the attempt on his life in 1981, is considered the best hospital in Rome and is the second largest after the state university hospital Umberto I.