Salutequità warns of risks to healthcare waiting list management

Tonino Aceti, president of the association Salutequità, has raised concerns regarding the conversion of Decree Law 144/2026 into law during a hearing before the Budget and Environment Committees of the Chamber of Deputies. The association warns that the new provisions, referred to as the ‘Pa decree’, could weaken the response to the emergency of healthcare waiting lists.

Key criticisms include the potential emptying of the verification body responsible for waiting lists, the repeal of access, control, and inspection powers, and the fragmentation of activities intended to combat these delays. Aceti argues that returning the management of waiting lists to the General Directorate of Health Programming—effectively moving it back to ‘ordinary administration’—suggests the emergency has passed, despite data showing the situation remains grave.

Furthermore, the association highlights that the decree may compromise the recent reorganization of the Ministry of Health's governance and represents a step backward from commitments made under Law 107/2024. The lack of a transitional regime and an organic review of the ministerial structure are also cited as significant points of uncertainty.