Puglia allocates 20 million euros to reduce healthcare waiting lists

The Puglia regional government has approved the second phase of a strategic plan to reduce healthcare waiting lists, allocating 20 million euros to achieve these objectives. This follows a successful first phase where 231,435 people were contacted, resulting in the recovery of over 157,000 medical services.

Under the new phase, regional health entities must adopt recovery plans by September 14, with goals extending through December 31, 2026. Key measures include stabilizing recall functions to prevent ‘no shows’ and establishing a regional table on prescriptive appropriateness, coordinated by Aress Puglia, to be set up by September 21.

Strict timelines for medical access have been confirmed: 72 hours for urgent cases, 10 days for short-term, 30 days for visits, 60 days for diagnostics, and 120 days for programmable services. Additionally, new expiration rules for prescriptions have been introduced: ‘U’ code prescriptions expire 5 days after issuance, while ‘B’ code prescriptions expire after 15 days.