The reform of the professions approved by the CDM of 4 September 2025 redesigns the universe of professional orders in Italy.
The new address also concerns health professions. For doctors and other figures, in particular, there is a criminal shield unless the error is due to gross negligence. But the training courses also change, among other things.
Criminal shield for doctors
The most discussed point is the criminal shield for doctors and healthcare professionals: after years of temporary measures, the reform makes the rule stable that limits criminal punishment to cases of gross negligence only, provided that the professional has followed the guidelines and good clinical-assistance practices.
The novelty is intended to deeply affect health litigation: today in Italy defensive medicine, that made of prescriptions and exams required more for fear of complaints than for real clinical needs, costs about 11 billion a year and contributes to lengthening the waiting lists.
The government aims to guarantee professionals the opportunity to operate with serenity. Civil liability and the right to compensation for victims of medical error remains guaranteed, as mentioned, the punishment in the presence of gross negligence.
Training between specialization schools and new skills
The reform of the professions intervenes on the training side with general medicine that will become a real specialization school, equated to the other post-graduate paths. The establishment of new schools for chemists, dentists and biologists is also expected with the aim of strengthening crucial sectors such as forensic medicine, public and environmental hygiene, and generational change within the NHS.
The text also promotes the birth of a national health skills certification system, intended to enhance professionalism and guarantee homogeneous standards across the country. Particular attention is paid to managerial training and continuous updating (ECM), which will have to take into account new technologies and artificial intelligence applied to health.
Measures for health personnel and incentives
One of the declared objectives is to counteract the escape of doctors and nurses from the NHS to the private sector, often more attractive due to the highest wages and the lower stress. For this, the delegated bill provides for targeted incentives and measures:
- greater flexible use of specializing;
- Simplification of administrative practices to free time to devote to clinical activity;
- premiums related to performance, with a focus on the reduction of waiting lists;
- work safety for all professionals;
- more rational programming of the number of specializing.
Revision of orders and subsidiary role
The reform also touches professional orders, including healthcare ones, introducing correctives to law 3/2018. The changes aim to strengthen the role of orders as state subsidiary bodies, redefining skills and mandates and enhancing internal governance.
The goal is to guarantee more transparency and participation, also through updated rules on elections, training and career paths.
New evaluation of guilt
On the criminal level, in addition to the conditioned shield, a new article (590-septies cp) is introduced, which expands the evaluation criteria of guilt. The judges will have to take into account not only the behavior of the individual healthcare, but also of:
- lack of material and human resources;
- organizational difficulties that are not avoidable;
- scientific uncertainty;
- complexity of the clinical case;
- urgency or emergency.
It is a change of perspective that aims to contextualize the professional’s work avoiding abstract evaluations that do not reflect the concrete reality of hospital lanes often under pressure.
The real game, in the near future, will be played with the implementing decrees to be approved by 2026: there will be understood if the reform of the health professions will really maintain the promises to simplify, flaurocate and enhance the sector made by the Meloni government.
