The Pnrr proposal that will be presented to the EU by the government definances the health item by 15.9 billion. Mostly taken away from the projects of the so-called health houses (which go from the 1350 expected to 936) and from telemedicine; in short, to what should have brought treatment closer to the citizens who need it and are forced to go to the hospital or garrison often far from home.
Osservasalute: Italians are getting older and sicker. And the Health Service is struggling by Valeria Pini 21 June 2023 However, the various implementing rules of the Pnrr have given the legs to the everlasting project of providing the country with a network of community homes and hospitals that will have to free up the large hospitals from the mass of people who go there because they don’t know where to find assistance for sudden crises of dubious origin (often remediable with targeted and competent first aid aids), for small pathologies, for their chronic illnesses, for prevention and early diagnosis. A good thing, indeed. Or maybe not. Healthcare: the rich will live, the poor who knows by Daniela Minerva 06 February 2023
Few houses, and empty
First of all, it is now clear that the structures envisaged by the Pnrr are not ready nor will they be in 2026 (a term carved into the regulations), so much so that hundreds of them will be financed with Italian and non-European money, as would have been possible if they had hurried. And, in this regard, that no one tries to justify the delay by saying that these are new principals and all to think about: community houses (or health, or whatever they want to call them) have been on the agenda for twenty years and beyond, not exactly a virgin theme. But the important thing, for the health of citizens, is that they are being built now. And, fill up.
Hospitals: 30 thousand doctors and 100 thousand beds are missing by Irma D’Aria 25 May 2023
What is a garrison without doctors for?
And this is the real sore point. Put (albeit slowly) brick by brick, bought medical instruments and syringes, hospitals and community houses risk being empty packages. Minister Orazio Schillaci himself recognized this. Without doctors and nurses, bricks and syringes do nothing. As is now known, there is a shortage of nurses, and it takes time to train new ones. Therefore, the only possibility now is to go looking for them abroad. But still, you need the funds to pay for them. Which are not in the budget law.
Why doctors are missing and what to do by Daniela Minerva February 24, 2023 And then, there is the question of general practitioners: enlisting them full-time in community principals is a sine qua non. But this would require finally making them employees of the NHS, thus binding them to full-time service, with regulated shifts and holidays. They don’t want to know. And it doesn’t seem that the government wants to go in the right direction. But there is no alternative. Or rather, the alternative is for the principals to remain empty and useless. A big deception.