At the base of the dissatisfaction, booking difficulties (58%), long waiting times (53%) and very limited availability (43%). The data from the survey “Experience and perception of Italians on territorial medicine”, carried out in collaboration with the partner Institute Elma Research, presented at the 6th national congress of the Onda Foundation “Territorial medicine from a gender perspective – The challenge of the NRP”
27 SET –
The two years of the pandemic have put on the front page the gaps and territorial inequalities still too present in our national health system. Today, as envisaged by Mission 6 of the NRP, the time has come to invest in reorganizing health and social health care.
On these issues, representatives of institutions, scientific societies and experts met today and will confront each other during the 6th National Congress of Wave Foundationentitled “Territorial medicine from a gender perspective – The challenge of the NRP”, scheduled from 27 to 29 September in virtual mode.
Territorial medicine is heavily used by Italians but few are satisfied with it. According to the survey “Experience and perception of Italians on territorial medicine”, carried out by the Onda Foundation in collaboration with the partner institute Elma Research, it appears that 9 out of 10 Italians have turned to general practitioners, pediatricians of free choice, medical service and / or counseling in the last 6 months, especially for the prescription of drugs (79 percent), specialist visits or tests (67 percent), yet only a quarter of them are satisfied.
Unfortunately, the main sources of disappointment are still booking difficulties (58 percent), long waiting times (53 percent) and very limited hourly availability (43 percent). Almost all users (88 per cent) contacted the general practitioner for themselves or for family members in the last six months, while only 16 per cent contacted continuity of care services (e.g. emergency medical service) and 15 per cent a counseling center. 96 percent of the population uses a form of digital communication such as e-mail (70 percent) and phone calls (68 percent) to interact with the services offered by local medicine and about half would like to maintain this type of approach.
“The 6th National Wave Congress will take stock of proximity assistance from a gender perspective, addressing some specialist areas of chronicity and the theme of prevention with particular reference to sexual and reproductive health. – he claims Francesca MerzagoraPresident of the Onda Foundation – The data of the survey carried out are not comforting, although these services were used by 90 percent of the interviewees, only 26 percent are satisfied with the writing of the Pnrr to date a serious energy crisis has occurred and in Italy it has just been voted: the hope is that for the next government, territorial and hospital health will remain a priority with funds also dedicated to the recruitment and training of personnel indispensable to guarantee the functioning and sustainability of our national health system “.
Through Mission 6 of the Pnrr, Onda recalls, 15.63 billion euros have been allocated to form a new institutional structure that favors the continuity of care for patients, strengthens the territorial network of primary care and uniform structural, technological and organizational so as to favor the relationship between doctors and the client and respond to changing needs. But, despite this, the population believes that territorial medicine has worsened extremely (41 percent) and has low expectations for the future: it turns out that 90 percent of respondents do not believe that there will be effective improvements or that it is being done something. Furthermore, 2 out of 5 people are not aware of any projects for the rehabilitation of territorial medicine.
“Looking at the data in the questionnaire, there are two surprising things: the first that, despite most of the interviewees suffering from chronic diseases, seem not to be taken care of with fixed appointments and a dedicated case manager, the second is the lack of confidence in the future of health care. The Pnrr in mission 5 and 6 and with Ministerial Decree 77/2022, if done correctly, should be the answer to the problems highlighted by the questionnaire “, comments Degrassi Flowers, Coordinator of the Onda Foundation regional antennas, representative of the Lazio Region of the Gender Medicine Observatory, Higher Institute of Health.
“In the face of an estimated 28 percent increase in diagnoses of depression and other mental illnesses caused by over two years of pandemic, especially among young people and young adults, it is going towards the impossibility of guaranteeing, in some areas, minimum services in a sector in difficulty for some time – he adds Claudio Mencacci, President of the Scientific Committee of the Wave Foundation and the Italian Society of Neuro Psycho Pharmacology – it is known that even before the Covid-19 pandemic, the Departments of Mental Health (DSM) were able to respond correctly to just over 55% of the healthcare needs and that staffing of mental health services is 15% (-4600) lower than a standard set over 20 years ago in an era with very different health needs than today. There is a pressing need for a change in the management of public services in this territorial area. Health policy does not find answers and allocations of funds within the ministerial decrees referring to the NRP. The request is that the funds to be invested in mental health should instead grow up to 5% of the National Health Fund, now stuck at 2.75%, enormously far from the 10% target indicated in the EU for high-income countries “.
“The reorganization of the territorial assistance foreseen by the PNRR and programmed by the Ministerial Decree 77/2022 constitutes an extraordinary opportunity to improve the quality of primary care. However, this reform is grafted onto a system that presents numerous organizational criticalities and enormous regional differences, which it is essential to take into account in order to implement the appropriate countermeasures “, concludes Nino Cartabellotta, Gimbe Foundation President.
September 27, 2022
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