There are 561 family doctor clinics lacking 1,200 patients per practitioner, instead of 1,800. The data emerged during a meeting between the regional president and interim health councilor, Alessandra Todde, and regional representatives of the CGIL, CISL, and UIL unions. "We wanted real numbers. We need to address the shortage and also address the problem of doctors' professional isolation."

Since the start of the legislative session , 130 new family doctors have joined the system. The calls for applications for vacant positions, the review of Ascot, and the implementation of the October 15 agreement will continue.

Regarding personnel, the president announced measures to simplify the management of rankings and make staffing plans more aligned with the needs of healthcare providers, confirming a draft law on regional healthcare governance. Regarding waiting lists, seven out of eight indicators improved in the first nine months of 2026, despite a 20% increase in demand. The situation regarding deferrable initial visits remains critical.

"This is precisely the data that citizens perceive most clearly and on which we must focus our efforts. We cannot accept that one in two people fails to obtain their first visit within the expected timeframe."

In September, the gap compared to 2025 was closed, but the result remains unsatisfactory. An additional €15 million is earmarked for the 118 emergency medical service over the three-year period, while discussions on the new agreement continue. The telemedicine project for small municipalities was also presented, with 1,500 stations and the involvement of doctors, pharmacies, and digital facilitators.

CGIL, CISL, and UIL welcome the fact that the law provides for trade union participation in local health and social care conferences.

Among the critical issues raised during the meeting were the shortage of acute hospital beds, hospital-territory integration, waiting lists, CUP management, staffing shortages, the operation of community homes and hospitals, unequal access to healthcare in different areas, the role and functions of ARES (Restores for Emergency Services)—which must be made more consistent with the needs of healthcare providers and territories—the emergency system, and the management of 118.

Regarding the shortage of general practitioners and pediatricians, given the measures outlined by the Department and the role played by Ascot in managing the current shortage, the unions emphasized that it must remain a temporary measure, to be gradually overcome by activating as many agreements as possible with new doctors. "The decision to implement a truly incentivizing system to make internal areas and less attractive locations attractive, both for doctors and for all healthcare workers, is commendable," they said in a statement.

Regarding the hiring of foreign doctors and nurses, the union emphasized the need to ensure equal pay and regulatory treatment and the full implementation of the sector's collective bargaining agreement. It also emphasized the importance of ensuring the necessary guarantees regarding professional qualifications and language proficiency.

For the unions, however, the goal is a truly extraordinary plan for hiring and permanent positions in public healthcare that meets the real needs of each individual region and institution and helps reduce the severe hardship experienced by workers and the difficulties that citizens continue to experience, both in emergency rooms and in hospital wards and corridors. In this regard , the unions emphasized that the operation of community homes and hospitals represents a crucial step, "but these facilities must be enabled to function fully, with adequate staff and services, without diverting resources from acute care beds and hospital wards, which are already strained."

(Unioneonline)

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