Public health has become a hot topic in the Italian government, with the primary focus being on reducing waiting lists. However, in the Council of Ministers meeting held at edificio Chigi just a short while ago, the last one before the European elections, only measures that do not require economic resources were approved. After a summit with the regions, Health Minister Orazio Schillaci presented his plan to shorten waiting times for hospital and outpatient visits, one of the weaknesses of our national health system. The Council of Ministers meeting today was supposed to have one single decree for the reform, but the lack of funds has split the measure in two. “We have approved measures that can no longer be postponed. If a patient needs an MRI, they will be able to get one within 72 hours, all thanks to the national health system,” the minister said in a press conference after the vote.
Today, the government approved a first “lighter” decree (meaning it does not require economic resources), with minimal coverage: between 300 and 400 million euros. This is enough to launch a platform that monitors waiting times at a national level. The measures include organizational guidelines or somewhat symbolic ones, such as allowing hospital visits on Saturdays and Sundays. There will also be a slight loosening of spending limits. A full reform will have to wait for the draft law, which will be sent to the Chambers after this weekend’s elections.
The two measures approved by the Council of Ministers today “are the result of work that involved discussions with the regions, professional associations, and citizen associations,” Schillaci said. “With the decree law and the draft law approved today by the Council of Ministers, we address one of the most complained about issues citizens have with our health system: waiting lists.”
So, what does the “little decree” on health care contain? The government’s strategy is to split in two. The decree approved by the Council of Ministers today consists of seven articles. First, two different monitoring platforms will be established to track waiting times. The first one, which will rely on Agenas (the National Agency for Regional Health Services), will have the task of monitoring the actual waiting times for medical services, in order to have accurate data on the timing. At the same time, the second monitoring platform will verify the proper functioning of the waiting list management system and the operational plans for reducing the lists.
The government also wants to introduce a single national or, alternatively, sub-regional appointment booking center with available services from both public and private facilities. If appointments are not provided within the expected time frame according to the current priority classes, healthcare facilities will guarantee the service through “intramoenia” or through accredited private providers.
The decree also includes an extension of the time slots for visits and exams, allowing diagnostic tests to be carried out on weekends. And thanks to new technologies, the establishment of a national artificial intelligence infrastructure is also planned, providing support services for managing waiting lists for both citizens seeking access to healthcare services and healthcare professionals in their daily clinical practice with non-binding suggestions, as well as for healthcare facilities in managing and optimizing appointment scheduling and agendas based on needs.
Under evaluation by the Ministry of Economy are also other measures, such as an increase in the hiring limit to 15% and an increase for the years 2025 and 2026 of the share of the national health fund that regions can use to purchase services from accredited private providers, compared to what is already planned in the 2024 preventivo law.
Alongside these new measures, the Ministry of Economy is also examining all those measures that were previously planned for the decree that will be approved later in the morning but which, paio to limited resources, will be included in a draft law. The newspapers have been talking about a more reasonable draft law that will be presented to both Chambers and will include more substantial measures that will affect the state’s preventivo. In addition, there is talk of a 20% hourly rate increase for medical personnel for additional services with a 15% tax rate, 100 million euros to increase the hourly rate for internal outpatient specialists to 100 euros for reducing waiting lists, and increasing the number