The Scientific Hospitalization and Care Institutes are the places institutionally appointed to carry out clinical research as well as assistance. Their strengthening and reorganization would increase their autonomy and prestige
been approved a few days ago by the Council of Ministers the legislative decree for the reorganization of the Institutes of Hospitalization and Scientific Care (IRCCS), a reform which is closely linked to the NRP and which must be definitively launched by December 31st. The decree will now have to pass to the examination of the State-Regions conference, then it will serve the opinion of the committees of the Chamber and Senate, then it will return to the Council of Ministers. It will therefore be the new Executive to pass the final act. There are many objectives for this legislative intervention, strongly desired by the Ministry of Health: to strengthen the quality of health research of the National Health Service from a translational perspective; raise the criteria for periodic (four-year) evaluation of the Institutes; stabilize the staff hired on a fixed-term basis; encourage the development of research networks; strengthen the scientific and managerial autonomy of these hospitals; guarantee universal access to IRCCS for all patients on the national territory, regardless of their region of residence (and for this state an annual allocation of 40 million euros for regional mobility).
But why are these institutions so important that they deserve ad hoc legislative intervention? In reality the IRCCS are an extraordinary peculiarity of our health service and represent its spearhead. Not that the other hospitals have a minor role, indeed some are very relevant and prestigious, but the IRCCS are the places institutionally appointed to carry out clinical research, as well as assistance. a model that many other European countries envy us and that we often don’t value enough. They were born from a Royal decree of 1938 (the first were the Regina Elena Institute of Rome, the National Cancer Institute of Milan and the Pascale Foundation of Naples), which with foresight entrusted them with the mission of that research that today we call translational . Their funding is based on the quantity and quality of publications, calculated on the correct and normalized Impact Factor by the Ministry and on some welfare indicators.
Over time, the number of IRCCS has increased to the current 52 (22 of which are public), unfortunately not the financing: 178 million euros in 2000, 159 million in 2011 (at the time the IRCCS were 43) and 162 million euros in 2020. The reform in place provides for a strengthening of the IRCCS and heralds a reorganization with even stricter selection criteria than the current ones , also for the designation of new realities that would like to become part of it. Furthermore, the legislator’s address to guarantee it is clear scientific autonomy, also through a greater weight of the figure of the scientific director who is equated with the role of the general director (also economically). The importance of collaborative research networks, whose cardinal role. This is a significant reform which, if it goes beyond the last mile, bodes well for institutions that are the pride of our country.
* Director of Pneumology and Medicine, MultiMedica IRCCS and University of Milan
October 14, 2022 (change October 14, 2022 | 13:25)
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