In answering a question from the League to the Senate, the Minister of the University confirms the desire to increase the places available for the Faculty of Medicine but specifies that there is a need to “define the real need for medical-health personnel on the basis of the analysis of the available data, in a profitable comparison with the Regions, subsequently identifying the number of accesses necessary to exactly fill the gap that exists today”.
02 MAR –
“The goal is to increase, already from 2023/2024, the numbers in the order of 20-30% of the total, preserving the qualitative level of training, which requires the enhancement of the internship within the departments and promoting the strengthening of internship opportunities, also in agreement with hospitals, to open universities to the territories and modulate the needs of healthcare personnel to the needs of the territorial realities”. This is what the Minister of University and Research said, Anna Maria Bernini answering a question from the League to the Senate.
The complete response of Minister Bernini: I thank the interrogators and the parliamentary group of the League for this opportunity for discussion on a strongly felt issue which I take as a feature of my mandate as Minister of Universities and Research.
Reflection on the methods of admission to the degree course in medicine and surgery has been underway for some time, and even recently there have been changes. Starting from the 2022/2023 academic year, in fact, a new “TOLC” (Test OnLine CISIA) exam method has been adopted, which can be repeated several times and is already accessible to students enrolled in the penultimate year of upper secondary schools.
It was a significant innovation, which among other things has already had excellent results in the courses to which it has been applied (such as, for example, engineering). We are aware, however, that alone it could not be satisfactory. The theme remains that of adapting the access numbers to Medicine to the real needs of doctors and specialists. All this also in consideration of the upcoming retirements of doctors currently in business
It was therefore my initiative to activate, on 12 January last, a working group focused on the procedure for determining the programmed number of accesses, which would involve not only the Ministry of Health, but also the Regions and Universities as well as, through a series of the professional categories.
The work in progress aims to define the needs of doctors and to adjust the capabilities and potential offer of the university system, in order to review the access programming mechanisms. The goal is to increase, already from 2023/2024, the numbers in the order of 20-30% of the total, preserving the qualitative level of the training, which requires the enhancement of the carrying out of internships within the departments and promoting the strengthening of internship opportunities, also in agreement with hospitals, to open up universities to the territories and modulate the needs of healthcare personnel to the needs of the territorial realities.
We therefore aim at “sustainable access” to the health professions, as well as at widening the bottleneck of subsequent medical specialization pathways. For this reason we want to define the real need for medical-health personnel on the basis of the analysis of the available data, in a profitable comparison with the Regions and the Crui, subsequently identifying the number of accesses necessary to exactly fill the gap that exists today.
The reply of Roberto Marti (League). Mr. President, Mr. Minister, we are satisfied with your answer, which shows that finally, after years of criticizing the system and appeals, a change in the regime of admissions to the medical faculty is being carried out. For years, the League and Matteo Salvini have been hoping for a review of access to the medical professions to ensure that all students have the right to study and follow their professional aspirations.
As you have already underlined, we hope that what has emerged from the comparison with the Regions, which for the moment we consider an initial prudential estimate in the percentage increase in access to medicine, can then be reconsidered, knowing all that the first successes will take place in six – eight years from now.
A further emphasis, but you have already mentioned it: the next process is that of specialisations, another important issue, but one step at a time and I am convinced that we will get there.
March 02, 2023
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