The Italian government appears to have stepped back from its proposed reform of primary healthcare. The decree that would have required family doctors to work within Community Health Centres and shifted part of the profession towards public employment has reportedly been withdrawn.
According to sources within the Health Ministry, the decision was communicated by the ministry's chief of staff, Marco Mattei, to regional health officials. The goal of making the PNRR-funded Community Health Centres fully operational remains unchanged, but the government is now pursuing a more gradual and widely shared solution.
Two possible paths are currently under consideration. One would involve drafting a dedicated piece of legislation, while the more likely option would be to incorporate the changes into the new national agreement governing general practitioners.
Under this scenario, family doctors would be required to spend at least six hours a week working in Community Health Centres. Notably, the original proposal had been developed by the regions themselves rather than by the Health Ministry.
The new approach, however, has drawn criticism from Lombardy's Health Councillor, Guido Bertolaso, who had strongly supported the original reform, describing it as a unique opportunity to fundamentally reshape Italy's primary healthcare system.