Italians dissatisfied with the National Health Service. The usual problems weigh heavily, especially the waiting lists: 9 out of 10 say they wait too long for a first visit (88%), for specific diagnostic or control tests (85%) and also for surgical interventions (84%). In short, for almost all the waiting times are unsustainable. Furthermore, almost 7 out of 10 Italians consider it difficult to find a specialist, while 5 out of 10 complain that they are not always able to find competent doctors. 49% place full trust in the NHS, while 51% do not trust it. Almost 8 out of 10 compatriots are critical of the quality of the regional healthcare system, which rises to 9 out of 10 if we look at the national one. But, fortunately, over half of Italians feel healthy.
This, in a nutshell, is the outcome of the 'check-up' on the health of Italians and the national healthcare system that emerges from EngageMinds Hub, the research center of the Catholic University, Cremona campus directed by Professor Guendalina Graffigna. The survey reveals that Italians are increasingly careful in managing their health, but not all healthcare personnel respond adequately to needs and above all the national healthcare system does not seem to keep up with citizens' requests. In particular, a split emerges on the perception of the competence of doctors: women are more critical (55%), those who lean politically to the right (59%) and those who have low trust in the NHS (54%). Women also show greater discomfort due to the long waiting times for a first visit (90%), perhaps because they are traditionally the ones who take more responsibility for family care initiatives. Next we find the inhabitants of Southern Italy and the Islands (90%), those over 59 (94%) and Italians who have a chronic illness (95%).
There is no shortage of positive data. Six out of 10 Italians say they are in good health, just over 2 out of 10 enjoy very good health, while almost 2 out of 10 say they have a less than optimal state of health. In general, 67% believe they are able to manage their health effectively, believing it is important to collaborate with healthcare personnel (around 8 out of 10 Italians) to take care of it as best as possible. In reality, however, when they detect unusual symptoms or changes in their health status, only 4 out of 10 talk to their doctor about it. Those most accustomed to confiding in doctors are the elderly (68%), those who have high trust in the NHS (73%) and in scientific research (65%). And again, 47% of Italians do not share concerns about their health with family doctors. However, the study reports a significant growth in the percentage of Italians who value collaboration with healthcare personnel: it has gone from 71% in 2022 to 80% in 2024.
“The evidence revealed by the latest Engagement Monitor – comments Guendalina Graffigna, director of EngageMinds Hub of the Catholic University – does paint a picture of an Italian citizen who is increasingly attentive to his health and proactive in managing care, but whose expectations are engagement' in the healthcare process are somehow frustrated by the experience of healthcare personnel who are not always available or ready to grasp this new participatory and psycho-social dimension of the patient”.
Here it is over 7 out of 10 Italians believe that the Government should invest more resources in the NHS, while only 2 compatriots out of 10 think it is better to do it privately. And again, over 8 out of 10 Italians are disheartened about the real impact of the Pnrr in terms of reforms to be implemented in the healthcare sector.
“Italians appear divided between those who look favorably on private healthcare, generally among the youngest, and those who instead hope for greater investments and a relaunch of public healthcare – concludes Graffigna – In general what should be invested in is also the promotion of a conscious engagement of citizens in their use of the national health system, aimed at enhancing its dimension of common good, and therefore of co-responsibility of the users themselves in its efficiency and sustainability”.
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