The Italian government is facing criticism of the national healthcare system over its functioning after the COVID-19 crisis, according to Euractiv.
Italy’s healthcare funding has reached a 17-year low, as highlighted in a recent Corte dei Conti report to parliament. The report revealed a significant reduction in the national health fund compared to such countries as Germany and France.
The ratio of health expenditure to GDP fell from 6.8 per cent to 6.3 per cent. The average for the OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development) and EU is 7.1%, whereas the average for France and Germany stands at around 10%.
Meanwhile, the debate over health care financing has escalated from a political disagreement to a potential institutional clash between regional authorities and the central government.
On 4 April, The Conference of the Regions demanded that the government cancel an article that cuts 1.2 billion euros allocated to hospitals for earthquake safety measures at a hearing on measures included in the National Recovery and Resilience Plan.
On 3 April, 14 leading Italian scientists, including Nobel Laureate Giorgio Parisi and the president of the Higher Health Council, Franco Locatelli, signed an appeal calling for the protection and revitalisation of Italy’s National Health Service. They pointed to the decline in some health indicators, the increasing difficulty of accessing diagnostic and treatment services, and growing regional and social inequalities.
The academics also emphasised the urgent need to bring healthcare funding up to the standards of developed European countries to reach 8% of GDP, according to Parisi.
“Very often, Italy has evolved to go in the same direction as the United States. It would be disastrous if this happened to health care as well. In the United States, there is no natural National Health Service, and everything is left to the private sector. The National Health Service not only allows all citizens their constitutionally guaranteed right to access health care but is also a shield to prevent unreasonable increases in health care costs.”
Elena Granaglia, a professor and member of the Inequalities and Diversity Forum, stated that the scientists’ appeal was a strong wake-up call to the government, parliament and citizens. She warned that Italy’s vital universal health care system was in danger of collapse without proper public funding.
If public funding is cut, the only alternative is the growth of private funding: as empirical evidence shows, private health care costs more, creates inequalities and increases the risks of inadequacy.
The National Federation of the Orders of Surgeons and Dentists supported the concerns, with President Filippo Anelli emphasising the importance of prioritising healthcare in times of crisis. He called for investment in health professionals, including addressing stagnant salaries and improving working conditions, in order to retain talent and stem the exodus of doctors to other countries.
Almost 40,000 specialists had left in five years, Anelli noted.
