All of Italy’s major public doctors’ unions joined the 24-hour strike, and some 40,000 surgical operations were cancelled as well as hundreds of thousands of specialist examinations and diagnostic tests.
Vets also joined the strike, which was accompanied by around 50 different protests across the nation.
The doctors’ unions called the strike in protest against the 2018 budget bill currently being debated in parliament, arguing it does not contain the funding needed to keep Italy’s national health service going, as growing demand from an ageing population puts pressure on public resources.
Doctors complained that hospitals regularly rely on temporary workers instead of hiring permanent staff, and that too few contracts are available for specialists.
They are also demanding the renewal of their collective contracts with the government, which have not been renegotiated in eight years.
Several unions said in a joint statement on Tuesday that the number of doctors taking part in the strike was “above all expectations”, with peaks of 80 per cent in some places.
The unions stressed that emergency services were guaranteed during the strike.
“I absolutely stand by Italian doctors,” Italian Health Minister Beatrice Lorenzin said on Monday.
Ms Lorenzin added that the government had taken measures to open up “thousands” more job opportunities for medics.
With ANSA
