No hospital will close its doors because of the spending review. “In connection with press reports reporting lists of hospitals to close – reads a note from the Ministry of Health -, it is specified that these lists do not exist, nor is anyone preparing them ”.
Therefore disappears from the decree on the review of public spending, which will arrive today in the Council of Ministers, the obligation for the Regions to close hospitals with fewer than 120 or 80 beds by October (under penalty of being placed in receivership).
It therefore seems that the disagreement within Mario Monti's team has been resolved in favor of the Minister Renato Balduzzicontrary to the norm. "It cannot be the central state that says what to cut in the various regions," said Balduzzi, who announced his intention to change the provision on this point yesterday evening during the meeting with the governors. The ministry then determined that they are the individual regional authorities to evaluate possible closurese.
However, other cuts in the health sector survive in the decree on the spending review. In particular, the main measures are three. Here they are:
1) Hospitals: -30 thousand beds. In Italian public hospitals, the number of beds will go from 252 to 222, equal to 3,6 instead of 4 for every thousand inhabitants (but the European limit is 3,3).
2) Three billion less to the National Health Fund. The reduction in funds will be one billion for 2012 and two for 2013.
3) Goods and services, -5%. Public health purchases of goods and services are cut by 5%.
