Overview

• Maria Cristina Gallo, 56, died after waiting eight months for a histology result requested in December 2023 and communicated only in August 2024, by which time her cancer was metastatic.
• Her public complaint revealed a backlog of roughly 3,300 undelivered or delayed reports at the ASP of Trapani, including hundreds indicating cancer.
• Prosecutors in Trapani are investigating 19 health workers for alleged omissions and negligence related to the reporting failures.
• The case is in incidente probatorio, and court-appointed experts are examining whether delays aggravated conditions in six patients and contributed to three deaths, including Gallo’s.
• Ministry inspectors documented serious organizational failures, the ASP director general Ferdinando Croce resigned, and Mazara del Vallo declared a day of mourning as thousands attended Gallo’s cathedral funeral.