More people in Italy turn to private healthcare treatment as NHS struggles
Italy, like many countries, has long waiting times by its national health service. As a result an increasing number of people are turning to private health care, a shift that has been ongoing for many years across the continent. There are signs the coronavirus pandemic accelerated this movement. Our correspondent Giles Gibson reports. #Italy #Healthcare
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00:00 If a top football player based in Rome gets a serious injury, Villa Stewart private clinic is likely their first phone call.
00:08 Ex-Italian Roma legend Francesco Totti was a fan, but it's not just famous athletes who take advantage of its top-notch facilities.
00:17 The hospital says it used to be common ten years ago for patients to pay for private health care out of their own pocket, but things have changed.
00:26 That was what 80% of patients did, the remaining 20% were covered by health insurance.
00:34 Right now the situation is completely the opposite.
00:37 Today our entire business, almost 90%, is covered by insurance and 10% of patients pay directly.
00:45 In Italy's national health service there's growing discontent amongst doctors and nurses.
00:51 They've been holding regular strikes, accusing the government of cutting their pensions and not hiring enough staff.
00:58 Patients too are angry about long waiting lists as the impact of the coronavirus pandemic on the health service drags on.
01:06 Francesco Sciarra and his wife have had to go private several times because they needed an appointment quickly, or the only one available on the health service was too far away.
01:19 Despite using private services though, Francesco doesn't support them.
01:24 I would abolish the private sector from providing essential services because in my opinion they only do damage because they create competition.
01:35 The private sector wants to make a profit and make that profit from the needs of citizens, which is an important contradiction that we as citizens will ultimately pay for.
01:48 That dissatisfaction has prompted political action.
01:52 Prime Minister Giorgio Meloni's right-wing government has allocated more than $2.5 billion in this year's budget to try to cut waiting times.
02:01 Now the problem is that not everybody can simply write a check if they can't get an appointment.
02:06 Amongst low-income households it's estimated that more than 4 in 10 people have had to forego treatment
02:12 because they couldn't get an appointment on the National Health Service and they couldn't afford to go private.
02:18 Giles Gibson for CGTN, Rome.