In Italy about 4.5 million peopleor the 7.6% of the population, giving up healthcare due to economic or supply problems or even difficulty in reaching the places where the service is provided. This is the worrying data relating to 2023 that was indicated by CnelNational Council for Economy and Labour, in a note commenting on the Public Services Report 2024 published last October. What is worrying, in addition to the high number of those who decide not to seek treatment, is the fact that the percentage has increased significantly over the last few years, going from 6.3% of 2019 to 7.6% of 2023
Healthcare, Italians give up on treatment
As they report in the note of Cnel7.6% of the Italian population in 2023 has given up on health care for a chain of causes that go, as mentioned, from the reasons economicalto the impossibility a move to receive the service by going through waiting lists that are too long.
“There was – we read in the CNEL note – a worsening trend, regardless of the exceptional nature of 2021, when the consequences linked to Covid-19 increased the value by up to 11%”. The data, in this sense, speak very clearly: in 2019 the percentage of citizens who gave up healthcare was equal to 6.3%, in 2022 to 7%, while today – 2023 – eal 7.6% (4.5 million people).
The differences by age, the 55-59 year old range is very bad
From the general data it is possible to obtain specifications that divide Italians into age groups and Region of residence.
Regarding the first classification, it is possible to say that the highest percentage of those who make healthcare waivers (treatments and checks) corresponds to the age group between 55 and 59 years oldas much as 11.1%. Lower, but still worrying, values are recorded among the older population of 75 years olda percentage of 9.8%, while the figure drops significantly among children under 13 years old, 1.3%.
The difference between is also quite clear men And womenwith the former not providing healthcare in 6.2% of cases while the latter in 9%.
The region with the most waivers is Sardinia
With reference to geographical differences, it is possible to say that the highest share of those who give up treatment is recorded at Central Italy8.8% of the total, while al South it drops to 7.7% and to North at 7.1%.
As regards the individual regions of the country, the worst data are recorded in Sardinia13.7%, followed on the less than noble podium by Lazio with 10.5% and from Marche with 9.7%. The most virtuous areas, however, are those relating to Friuli-Venezia Giuliato the autonomous province of Bolzano And Trentto theEmilia – Romagnato, to Tuscany and to Campaniaall with values lower than 6%.
The reasons for healthcare waivers
It is interesting to note i reasons for which Italian citizens choose not to undergo healthcare. If the economic reasons have remained substantially stable over the years, going from 4.3% in 2019 to 4.2% in 2023, it was above all the sacrifices due to the waiting lists. In this case, the figure went from 2.8% in 2019 to 4.5% in 2023, passing through 3.8% in 2022. The reasons for the surge are linked to the covid-19 pandemic which blocked the health services in 2020 (4.9%) and 2021 (5.9%), continuing the consequences also in 2022 (1.2%) and in 2023 (0.1%).
