Emergency ambulance services face closures and staffing risks in Italy

Local leaders and officials are raising alarms regarding the reduction and closure of ambulance services in various Italian regions.

In Cerignola, Ale Frisani of Noi Moderati has criticized the regional decision to suppress a second 118 emergency station. He warns that the reduction poses a severe threat to both patient lives and the physical safety of healthcare workers, noting that delays in emergency response can lead to increased aggression toward staff by stressed or desperate citizens.

In a separate context, Annamaria Piccinelli of Movimento Vivace e Sostenibile highlighted the closures of both Padana Soccorso and Ambulanza Avis. While Padana Soccorso handles emergency-urgency services and Avis focused on private transport, both closures point to structural issues. Piccinelli identified the progressive decline in volunteer personnel and rising raw material costs as primary factors destabilizing these essential healthcare services.