Once a month in Lugano, patients can seek advice from medical specialists free of charge thanks to the “Café Med” initiative, run by retired doctors. Rather than prescriptions or certificates, the project offers something increasingly rare in healthcare: unhurried conversation. The specialists involved include oncologists, radiologists, general practitioners, psychologists, dermatologists and cardiologists – all retired, and all volunteering their expertise. Once a month in the southern Swiss city, they hold free consultations from 2:30pm to 4:30pm. Questions about chronic illness “Patients often have questions about chronic issues like diabetes or heart conditions,” says retired radiologist and oncologist Antonella Richetti. “But there are also people with more serious illnesses, who want to know whether the treatment they are undergoing is appropriate, if there are alternatives, and if they are on the right path.” About Café Med Café Med is run by the informal academy ...
