Florence, 22 May 2024 – “Differentiated autonomy will divide Italy in two, those who have money will be able to get treatment, those who don’t have it will give up treatment. It is a bitter observation for us doctors who love the national health service.” This was said by Pietro Dattolo, president of the Order of Doctors of Florence, during the conference organized yesterday afternoon in Florence, at Palazzo Medici Riccardi, by the Anaao Assomed union on differentiated autonomy and the risks for the national health service.
“Our concern is that if this law passes, which was approved in the Senate and will now probably also have the green light in the House, we will see a health service that will treat the rich and abandon the poor. A situation that will penalize the South even more from where we are already witnessing a marked healthcare migration – underlines President Dattolo – The essential levels of services (Lep), provided for by the Constitution, will not be financed. The rich Regions will become increasingly so, widening the gap with those most economically suffering”.
“A law, in my opinion, unconstitutional, because it undermines national unity and does not guarantee all its citizens equal social and health rights – says Dattolo – Tuscany, even with territorial medicine, is currently in a good situation, because in our region everything is public. Be careful, however, of progressive defunding which in the long run could lead to growing difficulties for our regional healthcare as well.”
“It is false to say that differentiated autonomy serves to rationalize and increase efficiency. Just think of what happened with the pandemic: although the central government was the guarantor of prevention and treatment, each Region launched ad hoc measures which in some cases triggered appeals to the Constitutional Court. It is a false increase in efficiency, instead we need different organizational systems that rationalize spending” declares the president of the Medical Association of Florence.
