“Never before has a courageous, I would say Copernican, reform of Italian medical schools been urgently needed in light of the alarming flight of doctors in Italy and the shortage of specialists in crucial sectors of healthcare”. Thus to Adnkronos Salute the president of the Italian Federation of Medical-Scientific Societies (Fism) Loreto Gesualdo, regarding the Orders' estimate according to which “there will be 20 thousand doctors who will leave Italy by 2024, 90% are under 40 years old “, preferring destinations such as Israel and the United States.
“The transformation of medical schools into university polytechnics, the creation of true 'teaching hospitals' involving medical schools, IRCCS and specialist training networks”, suggests Gesualdo. And again: “The gradual inclusion of graduates in the National Health Service with fixed-term training contracts, which after certification must transform into permanent contracts with wages adequate to the European average. These are all reforms that represent fundamental steps to guarantee a effective training and a gradual entry of doctors into the National Health Service”.
The creation of teaching hospitals “would help attract talents and resources – underlines Gesualdo – while a profound reform of local medicine could improve care and reduce inappropriate access to the emergency room. Investing in human resources and healthcare as fundamental pillars for well-being of society is essential to address the issue of the flight of doctors and the shortage of specialists in Italy”. The proposal for a Copernican reform of medical schools “could be the key to relaunching the NHS – he concludes – and guaranteeing efficient and quality healthcare for all citizens”.
