Lombardy and Campania push ahead with community health house reforms

Lombardy’s regional welfare assessor Guido Bertoloso warned that after twelve years of postponements the implementation of community health houses must move from intentions to concrete results. He noted that the 2012 Balduzzi law set the model for team‑based primary care, but full staffing only began with the 2024 collective agreement, which makes a single primary‑care role mandatory from 1 January 2025. Bertoloso highlighted that only 1 % of doctors have taken up the optional four‑hour extra shift in community houses, stressing the need for clear service guarantees.

The Campania branch of the Anaao Assomed trade union echoed these concerns, calling for an immediate dialogue with social partners before involving hospital doctors in community houses. Secretary Vincenzo Bencivenga said, “If the region wants to involve hospital doctors, it must open a genuine dialogue with the social partners,” and warned that existing incompatibility rules and contractual gaps must be resolved first.

Both regions stress that the debate is not merely contractual but aimed at delivering organized, locally accessible primary care to chronic patients, improving prevention, home care and integration between hospitals and territory.