Lombardy approves law recognizing obesity as chronic disease, allocates €3.3 million

The Lombardy Regional Council’s Health Commission voted unanimously to adopt Law 127, which officially classifies obesity as a chronic disease and acknowledges its social and economic impact. The legislation creates a Regional Obesity Network and a permanent obesity board that will coordinate hospitals, primary‑care doctors, pediatricians, pharmacies and social‑health services through a hub‑and‑spoke model.

Funding of €3.3 million for 2026‑2028 is earmarked for the programme – €900,000 for prevention campaigns and information, and €2.4 million to strengthen multidisciplinary care pathways, including free or reduced‑price medications for severely obese patients in economic fragility. The law targets the region’s high prevalence rates: about 2.6 million residents are overweight and more than 880,000 are obese, representing 43% of adults, while over 25% of children aged 8‑10 are also overweight or obese.

Regional leaders highlighted the initiative, with Giulio Gallera stating, “We want to recognize obesity for what it is: a complex pathology that requires integrated, continuous responses,” and Patrizia Baffi adding that investing in prevention and early diagnosis will improve quality of life for hundreds of thousands of citizens and make the health system more sustainable.