Sicily and Calabria fall behind Italy's health‑care standards in 2024

The 2024 national monitoring of the Livelli Essenziali di Assistenza (LEA) shows that Italy's regions Sicily and Calabria remain among the few that do not meet the minimum threshold of 60 points in at least one health‑care area.

Sicily obtained only 49 points in the prevention sector, well below the required level, while scoring sufficient points in hospital and district services. Union representatives highlighted persistent staff shortages, long waiting lists and uneven service provision, urging a comprehensive revision of hospital networks and staffing norms.

Calabria achieved 77 points in hospital care and 66 in prevention, both above the threshold, but its territorial (district) assistance scored just 52 points, making it the only area still insufficient. The region joins Sicily and the autonomous province of Bolzano as the only Italian territories failing to reach sufficiency across all three macro‑areas, underscoring the need to strengthen local health services.