Analysis of the growing attention towards healthcare in Italy
Ilvo Diamanti, in his reflections published on Republic on 14 October 2024, highlights a marked increase in interest in healthcare services in Italy. According to the article entitled “Health first: Italian healthcare creates more anxiety than taxes and wars”, concern about medical care has tripled in recent years, going from 13% to 40%. Diamanti attributes this growth to social tension and uncertainty about the future. These data derive from a study conducted by Demos & Pi per The Republicbased on a survey carried out by Demetra between 2 and 4 September 2024, which involved 1,016 individuals representative of the adult Italian population in terms of socio-demographic characteristics and geographical distribution.
Interest in healthcare beyond surveys
Although Diamanti’s data is the result of specific investigations, it is clear that interest in healthcare is a hot topic even outside academic circles. Every day, health-related news dominates the media, from newspaper pages to television broadcasts, and not only in relation to episodes of medical malpractice or problems in emergency rooms. Furthermore, the COVID-19 pandemic has left an indelible imprint on society, with nearly 200,000 deaths, hundreds of thousands of hospitalizations, and millions of people infected, many of whom have experienced so-called “long Covid.”
Healthcare at the center of the political and social debate
Every day, healthcare finds itself at the center of political discussions, regardless of which government is in power. The management of healthcare resources becomes an inevitable topic for the majority trying to balance the books, while the opposition and the unions raise questions regarding the conditions of healthcare personnel and the need for greater investments. Recently, Professor Cognetti called for an additional €10 billion for the sector, underlining the importance of using these funds wisely.
According to Istat, in 2023, 4.48 million Italians gave up specialist visits or diagnostic tests, of which almost 2.5 million for economic reasons. This scenario is aggravated by the aging of the population and an increase in people considered “fragile”, who tend to require more medical care.
Personal thoughts on the increase in interest in healthcare
Even without having personally carried out a survey, I believe that the results of the Demos survey reflect a real change in the priorities and concerns of Italians, probably influenced by social tension and economic uncertainty. It is interesting to note, as underlined by Diamanti, that attention towards the quality of healthcare is particularly high among the voters of some parties, who have managed the sector for many years. This may indicate a growing sensitivity towards these issues, or perhaps hide other political dynamics.
The surprising growth in interest in healthcare highlighted by the survey raises questions and suggests that, despite some past inertia, health issues have become a focal point for many citizens, significantly influencing current public and political debate.
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Alessandro Conti holds a degree in financial engineering from the Polytechnic of Turin, with a specialization in financial technologies. He has worked as a consultant for several fintech start-ups and banking institutions. His specialization concerns the regulation of payment services and the implementation of solutions compliant with the new European regulations, in particular PSD2. On ComplianceJournal.it, Alessandro shares his knowledge on the digitalisation of financial services and emerging risks linked to technological innovations in the banking sector.
