INPS official hospitalized for stress after comments outcry

(ANSA) - Crotone, April 19 - The head of the Italian pensions and social security agency INPS said Friday that a female official who had prompted a furore by responding impolitely to comments on the agency's Facebook page had been hospitalized due to stress from the incident.
    "She is an official who just couldn't stand the pressure and not - as a newspaper reported this morning - a badly paid intern," INPS president Pasquale Tridico said. "Yesterday evening I called our official, who had spent the day in the hospital due to the stress she suffered from the incident. She has my complete sympathy and solidarity." "Our colleague had a difficult day and I felt it was the right thing to support her and to invite her to continue her work in serenity. "Of course one must respond appropriately and I am sure that this employee does so. INPS is open to social media because we want transparent and direct communication with citizens. Often, however, it happens that there is pressure on our officials and employees as occurred yesterday.
    "Of course there is the need for training and to develop our skills to an appropriate level, but the point is that the stress that we are subjected to leads to reactions lacking in composure."