National Report Italy, October 2024

• • VIOLENCE AGAINST HEALTHCARE PROFESSIONAL - In recent months, acts of violence, verbal but above all physical, towards doctors and other professionals in the public health system have multiplied. This has led to a new law providing that Assaults on doctors and nurses can be punished with a fine of up to 10,000 euros and the initiation of an official criminal procedure. Arrest can occur not only in flagrante delicto – in the same moment the act is committed - but also with flagrante deferred for up to 48 hours. The crime of damaging health assets has been introduced too. The reasons behind this phenomenon, particularly frequent in the ER, are linked not only to the loss of the doctor's social role but also to a worsening of the population's social dissatisfaction with the growing insufficiencies of public health, struggling with a serious lack of resources and personnel. The media coverage could contribute with an emulation effect.

  • POST GRADUATING TRAINING SCHOOLS - Of the 15,256 state and regional contracts announced for the 2024-2025 academic year, concerning 51 disciplines taught in 95 degree courses, only 11,392 (75%) have been assigned, a number destined to decrease dramatically due to the hundreds of missed enrollments. The negative trend continues for the less sought-after specializations, first and foremost emergency medicine (30% of the contracts assigned), Pathology and clinical biochemistry (15%), Microbiology (11%), Pathological anatomy (47%) and Radiotherapy (18%). The significant number of contracts does not make up for the current shortage of specialists but prepares a future plethora of doctors.

  • RESIGNATION PHENOMENON - The number of hospital doctors who resign from the NHS before retirement is growing (4000 in 2023). At the same time, national competitions for hiring in some specialist disciplines are deserted, especially for hospitals located in peripheral areas.

  • SALARIES - In order to increase the remuneration of hospital doctors, while waiting for more economic resources in the next national labor contract, the unions' action has managed to obtain a preferential taxation (15% vs43%) on extra hours compared to the basic contractual hours. Work is being done to obtain this better taxation also on fixed salary items that reward medical specificity in public employment. The start of the negotiation for the next CCNL is scheduled for 2025 with a salary increase of 6% on average together with additional indemnities for doctors in the Emergency Department

  A national demonstration is being organized for November 20 to express the category's discomfort and ask for more funding in the Budget Law for public health (6.3% of GDP in 2024).