Italian regions grapple with severe health service and budget crises

In Calabria, the regional health system is confronting a critical financial shortfall. The 5-Star Movement’s regional council leader, Elisa Scutellà, highlighted deficits of €84.5 million in Cosenza, €94 million in Catanzaro, €8.3 million in Vibo Valentia and a €1.7 million loss in Crotone, with some providers seeing deficits grow by tens of millions in a single year. Hospital accounts also show losses, while the only positive performer is the Metropolitan Hospital of Reggio Calabria. Scutellà called for transparency, responsibility and a genuine recovery plan, warning that ongoing fiscal pressures are straining services, staff levels and emergency departments.

Meanwhile, in Sardinia’s interior town of Isili, mayors and local officials protested the recent closure of the emergency department at San Giuseppe Calasanzio Hospital. They urged the regional president, Alessandra Todde, and health authorities to secure continuous and structural solutions for the area’s health services, emphasizing the right to health for residents of remote districts.

Both regions are pressing the regional government for immediate action to address chronic under‑funding and service disruptions in Italy’s public health system.