In a maneuver already skimpy, for the healthcare oppressed by two years of pandemic they remained just the crumbs. And the doctors are preparing to go down in the squareif he Meloni government should not intervene to remedy. The draft of the budget law in fact provides for the 2023 only two billion more to be allocated to standard health needs, but 1.4 billion are intended to cope with the caro bills. Added to these are the two billion already envisaged in the previous manoeuvre Draghi. The Meloni government therefore barely allocates for doctors 600 million euros. Funds withheld insufficient by trade unions, medical orders, experts and also by the Regions. Particularly for one reason. The increase ofinflation it will eat up all the increment, leading in practice to a cut of money for health care. With less money, nothing remains for medical and nursing staff. “More resources will certainly be allocated to healthcare in 2023, but for bills and vaccines and anti-Covid drugs, not for services and staff. Nothing for the 2019-2021 employment contract, which provides for increases equal to a third of the current inflation rate, and no funding for the 2022-2024 one ″, denounce the union organizations of doctors, veterinarians and health managers. Thus, the alarm has also been raised by Philip Ringspresident of the National Federation of Medical Orders (Fnomceo), there will be a leak from hospitals: “We risk the haemorrhage of many doctors who will leave the NHS attracted by the early retirementfrom offers fromestero and from private“. An enormous risk, because the Italian health care already suffers from a shortage of personnel and because the reform from 7.1 billion expected from Pnrr it will need an increase in the number of doctors, nurses and health workers. Otherwise, it will be an empty box.
In detail, the draft of the first maneuver of the Meloni government provides for two billion more in 2023 and the same in 2024 to finance health care. For next year, 1.4 billion will be destined to meet the higher costs caused by the increase in the prices of energy sources. They are then allocated 650 millionagain in 2023, to be used for the purchase of vaccines and gods drugs anti-Covid. But another aspect strongly criticized it concerns the funds that the center-right executive has provided for the workers of the emergency roomthe category perhaps most affected by the Covid. In fact, the Meloni government has allocated 200 million more for allowance first aid, but only as of 2024. Zero for next year. Another choice that the unions interpret as an affront. Because of this Anaao assomed – cimo-fesmed – aaroi-emac – fassid – fp cgil doctors and managers ssn – fvm veterinary and medical federation – uil fpl – Cisl doctors – they express worry and they add: “Le working conditions of medical, veterinary and health managers, who have become unbearablealso due to a pandemic that has not yet passed, feed one state of crisis of public health which reduced the NHS to terminally ill“.
“No mass escapes of professionals, together with the dissatisfaction and it disgruntled of those who do not flee – say the unions – they sound an alarm which, however, does not reach the ears of the minister of health he was born in government that they don’t see dramatically reduced workforce at a flicker to the point of jeopardizing citizens’ access to prevention and treatment, together with their quality and safety”. “We need – the trade unions raise – investments for the salaries and for the hiringbecause the shortage of specialists cannot be filled by the cooperatives of token doctors, paid three times as much for the same work as employees and gratified by a flat tax that also brings the contribution differential to intolerable levels”. The medical, veterinary and health managers of the NHS, in the absence of immediate and concrete signals, therefore announce the state of agitation and ” all the necessary initiatives to defend and protect public health and the work of its human capital”. Even Anelli (Fnomceo) denounces the risk that doctors “abandon the National Health Service en masse”. The president of the Federation of Medical Orders calls for at least 2 billion to be “used entirely to increase the salaries of doctors and health professionals”. “We therefore ask for a I commit by the government to fully constrain these resources for health personnel”, adds Anelli. The situation, he warns, is in fact “emergency: the medical profession, especially for emergency room doctors and general practitioners, is becoming more and more less attractive. This is pushing many doctors to leave the national health system. So, either we intervene with extraordinary measures or we will see a irrepressible exodus“.
And even the Regions denounce how the funds allocated are insufficient. The two billion more announced by Prime Minister Meloni for health care “absolutely they’re not enough“, warns the president of the Puglia Region Michele Emiliano, “because every year, for the simple fact that i costs they increase2 billion more are used to fear health care at the same level of the previous year, but since this year there is very high inflation and they have increased a lot energy costsbasically there is one decrease of effective funding of the Italian health system and it is good that the government says this clearly“. “It cannot be said that we increase by 2 billion, because the increase is less than inflation differential that is being created”, said Emiliano on the sidelines of the Conference of the Regions. And it is a concept that governors share beyond thepolitical affiliationas evidenced by the text that the president of the Conference of Regions, the Friulian Northern League Massimiliano Fedrigahe had sent to the Ministry of Health before the budget law: “Between expensive energy, super-inflation and expenses for Covid, health care has opened a hole worth 3.4 billion euros“, reads the letter signed by all the presidents, of the center-left and also of the center-right. The money allocated by the Meloni government will therefore not be enough. And in these conditions, the Regions always warned, “it becomes difficult to ensure the better care everyone, reduce waiting lists and hire the health workers needed to ensure that the new community homes and hospitals in the area do not remain empty boxes“.
The world of science and research is also protesting the lack of investment in health. “Public health continues to remain out of the country’s priorities despite the enormous critical issues that have exploded with the pandemic,” he underlines Nino Cartabellottapresident of the Foundation Gimp. In Italy, Cartabellotta notes, “the public health scale is down by 12.7 billion euros compared to media European, but in addition to resources, we need a systemic vision and courageous reforms”. According to President Gimbe, the critical issues are increasingly compromising the constitutional right to health protection, “leading to renunciations of treatment and unacceptable inequalities, not only regional, in accessing services and innovations”. According to Cartabellotta, without a drastic change to an adequate level of resources, the national health system “is condemned to a stunted survival which will end up crumble, slowly but surely, the model of a public, equitable and universal health care, pillar of our democracy”. atberaking latest news Salute Maria Rita Gismondodirector of the laboratory of clinical microbiology, virology and diagnostics of bioemergencies of the Sacco hospital in Milan, asks for a reverse gear because otherwise “it won’t be feasible serene management of the National Health Service”.
In a open letter addressed to the new government the day after the political elections, Gismondo had drawn up a “list of desires” wishing, among other things, an investment in the future of the country. And in the near future there is the gigantic reform of Italian healthcare, one of the main points of the Pnrrwhich will have to become fully operational in 2026 and which is valid 7.1 billion euros. The reform aims to renew territorial healthcare, with the introduction of health districts and some community houses which will have the task of reducing improper access to the emergency room and hospitals were relieved of the burden of treating all the sick, even those who do not need medical supervision. Covid has laid bare the whole fragility of the filter that general practitioners should carry out and more generally the lack of territorial assistance. To strengthen it, thanks to the funds of Pnrr they will be born new facilities, smaller but more capillaries, to welcome citizens in search of first aid. But, as the Regions themselves had denounced in recent months, other doctors, other nurses and other health professionals will be needed to make the reform work. If resources are already being reduced, a future of new hires becomes a mirage. With the risk that the opportunity presented with the Pnrr will turn into a boomerang for Italian healthcare.