Remove territorial gaps in healthcare says Mattarella

(ANSA) - ROME, OCT 28 - President Sergio Mattarella on Monday called on Italian authorities to remove territorial gaps in the national health services, making sure that services were as far as possible the same in all parts of the country in line with the Italian Constitution.
    There is a big north-south gap in the health service and a lot of 'health tourism' from the south to the north.
    The government's new 'differentiated autonomy' plans will make this worse, critics say.
    "To ensure that the effectiveness of research results does not encounter obstacles, it is necessary to remove and overcome conditions of territorial gap," Mattarella told a ceremony celebrating "Research Days".
    "It is our responsibility to ensure that these gaps do not arise in the fight against cancer.
    "Universality of care and equal rights are indispensable principles of the Republic, as prescribed by the Constitution".
    (ANSA).