Regional governments will be obliged to set up single ‘CUP’ booking centres for people to reserve appointments and monitoring of waiting lists will be assigned to the national agency for regional health services, AGENAS.
There will also be a health care control inspectorate as well as services offered at weekends if necessary, according to a draft of the decree seen by ANSA.
Under the bill, a draft of which ANSA has also seen, a national register for citizens to report inefficiencies and problems with services will be set up.
Health workers doing overtime to bring down the waiting lists will see a 20 per cent increase in their hourly pay and tax for them will be brought down to 15 per cent.
The bill also sets aside 100 million euros for clinics to bring in specialists in order to reduce the waiting lists.
The bill features sticks as well as carrots.
The regional governments will set health agency managers annual waiting-list targets and those who fail to meet them risk 12-month suspensions, according to the draft.
It will be possible for health agencies to use junior doctors who are in training to become specialists for up to 10 hours each week to contribute to the waiting-list-reduction drive.
Carlo Calenda, leader of centrist opposition party Azione, blasted the plan.
“The money to implement the decree is not there,” he said.
“Two billion euros are needed, but only a tenth of that has been allocated.
“They are misleading citizens in this way.
“It’s immoral to mislead those waiting for an operation.
“It’s shameful and unacceptable.”
ANSA
