Italy's health system confronts acute staff wellbeing and shortage crisis

Analysts warn that the well‑being of Italy’s healthcare personnel is deteriorating, with high rates of burnout, aggression and staff attrition threatening the quality of care. A proposal calls for an annual national survey on staff welfare, including publicly reported indicators on violence and burnout, to be incorporated into hospital performance ratings. The argument draws on England’s NHS plans, which from 2026 will assess trusts on their ability to tackle racism and violence alongside traditional metrics.

At a recent conference, the president of the Gimbe Foundation highlighted the depth of the human‑capital problem: roughly 90,000 doctors are no longer working in the public system and more than 5,700 family‑medicine doctors are missing. Over the 2012‑2024 period, public spending on health personnel fell from 39.7% to 36.6% of the total health budget, amounting to a loss of about €33 billion, with €12.5 billion lost in the last three years alone. Analysts say these financial cuts have demotivated staff and accelerated departures, jeopardising the constitutional right to health care.