Italian officials implement administrative and healthcare reforms

In Italy, regional and provincial leaders are addressing administrative and healthcare efficiency. Francesco Fragomele, Vice President of the Province of Catanzaro, defended a new decree aimed at aligning the duration of provincial councils with that of presidents. Fragomele stated the measure is expected to save 82 million euros and aims to rectify issues caused by the previous Delrio reform, which he claimed weakened provincial functions.

Separately, the President of the Puglia Region, Antonio Decaro, announced new measures to combat healthcare waiting lists. To ensure resources reach those in genuine need, the region will implement stricter rules regarding medical prescriptions. These include banning multiple bookings for the same exam, stopping prescriptions for tests already covered by free ASL screenings, and limiting priority codes to initial access rather than follow-up checks. Additionally, new expiration timelines for urgent prescriptions (Code U expiring in 5 days and Code B in 15 days) will be introduced to prevent delays in the booking system.