In Italy 7.146 doctors are missing and the shortage is concentrated in three regions - Campania, Lazio and Sicily - which alone need over 6 white coats. The government has said it wants to address the problem, but it would take all the necessary professionals to hire at least 950 million euros. The figures are contained in an elaboration by Anaao Assomed, acronym of hospital doctors, which on the basis of data from the annual Treasury account compared the year of maximum employment in the last decade with 2017, the latest available. The same calculation was also replicated on the expenditure front.
According to Anaao, however, there is not only a shortage of doctors. The Health Service would also need to 2.122 non-medical executives. Then there is the problem of lack ofnurses, on which, however, no estimates have been made. In any case, it is certain that – all things considered – hiring the necessary staff would cost over one billion euros.
There isn't much time to run for cover. The goal is to return to an adequate number of doctors by 2023-2025, years of peak exit of doctors from the labor market due to retirement. In fact, within six years 38 white coats will retire from work (45.000 if general practitioners are also taken into account), a trend that risks being weighed down by the introduction of the "quota 100". Meanwhile, universities do not produce enough graduates and many of these choose to go to work abroad.
The union proposes a twofold solution: on the one hand the restoration of the workforce with the famous investment of over one billion and on the other massive recruitment of trainees.
From the Regions, however, another proposal has arrived: keep doctors in service over the age of 65, up to forty years of effective service, and in any case not beyond the seventieth year of age. The idea is contained in the 16-point document of the Conference of Regions to address the shortage of white coats. The text will be presented to the Minister of Health Speranza in the coming days.
