Italy’s National Health Service Faces Unprecedented Staffing Crisis, Loses €28 billion in a Decade
The Italian National Health Service (SSN) is grappling with an unprecedented healthcare staffing crisis, resulting in a loss of over €28 billion over the past 11 years, with more than half of that occurring between 2020 and 2023. This is according to a statement from the Fondazione Gimbe.
During a recent hearing at the Chamber of Deputies’ Social Affairs Committee, Professor Nino Cartabellotta, President of Fondazione Gimbe, shed light on the situation. From 2012 to 2023, the expenditure on healthcare workers’ salaries has been significantly reduced. While it initially saw a progressive decline from €36.4 billion in 2012 to €34.7 billion in 2017, it subsequently rose to €40.8 billion in 2022, only to drop to €40.1 billion in 2023. However, as a percentage of total healthcare spending, this expenditure has seen a steady decrease, from 33.5% in 2012 to 30.6% in 2023.
"Had the spending on healthcare workers’ salaries remained at the 2012 levels, where it represented approximately a third of the total healthcare expenditure, the SSN would not have lost €28.1 billion, with €15.5 billion of this lost between 2020 and 2023," Cartabellotta noted.
This crisis, caused by faulty planning, underfunding, and recent trends that have demotivated and disaffected healthcare professionals, threatens the SSN’s ability to provide adequate services to meet population health needs. Without a timely revival of policies centered around healthcare personnel, guaranteeing people’s right to health protection may become increasingly challenging.
