More than four in 10 Italians
think healthcare is worsening, a figure that increases to six in
10 in Italy's south, according to a study released Friday by
Censis.
More than half of those surveyed said healthcare is
inadequate, with a full 83% of those in the south unhappy with
regional healthcare.
Survey respondents said problems include rising costs and
long wait times that often drive patients to pay out-of-pocket
at private healthcare providers who offer competitive rates with
shorter waits.
The survey said a private-provider MRI scan costs 142 euros
with a five-day wait time, while the cost for the same scan in
the public healthcare system is just 63 euros but carries a
74-day wait.
The average public healthcare wait time is 55 days for a
specialist visit and 46 days for tests, and nearly two in 10
patients (22,6% and 19,4%, respectively) were forced to wait for
these services due to lack of private care alternatives.
Meanwhile, half of the families who care for a person in
the household who isn't self-sufficient (5.5% of the Italian
population, more than 3.1 million), have such limited resources
that they have been forced to use up their savings or sell their
homes to cover healthcare costs, the survey said.
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