From time to time a question will pop up on one of the social network groups from someone who is thinking of moving to Italy asking what healthcare is like here.
Invariably the answer mentions the world class hospitals found in the north and Rome and the generally high level of care – in the North. Mention moving to the south and you can almost hear the sharp intake of breath. Comments will appear saying how poor healthcare is in the south, how few Doctors there are, how backward things are.
I can only speak from my experience, living in a small village in Basilicata for 12 years but this is what I have found.
Astonishing fact number 1
I can easily see my Doctor - the same day. I don’t have to make an appointment. I don’t have to struggle with a complicated booking system. I go down to his surgery and he will see me. Sure I may have to settle in for a wait, depending on the number of people who got to the waiting room before me but he will see me no matter how long it takes and it could take a while because he takes the time to listen to his patients and there’s no imposed ten minute appointment slots. Like doctors everywhere he’s overworked and stressed but he never rushes. It’s also highly likely that someone in the waiting room will ask what’s wrong with you, they’ll all be busy discussing each others symptoms and will expect you to join in to help pass the time.
I’ve even got my doctors mobile phone number. When we registered with him he gave us his personal phone number and said “if it’s urgent and it’s the weekend or something, ring me”.
You don’t get that in the Uk!
Astonishing fact number 2
A lot of things are incredibly cheap. I have been charged just 30 euros for a non urgent xray. I could have had it for free if I’d been prepared to go on a waiting list but paying 30 euros sounded a reasonable price to pay for a quick solution to a back problem. The problem turned out to be muscular and, as a pensioner, I got 10 physio sessions in a state of the art clinic in my village for free. Non prescription pain relief on the other hand costs a lot more than in the UK or USA. Everyone I know stocks up on visits home or begs visitors to bring them supplies.
Over the time we have been here my husband and I have had cause to make various demands on the health service and we have found it nothing but good. Like a lot of places waiting times in Pronto Soccorso/A&E (for a gash that needed stitches) can be lengthy but we have both had procedures to remove precancerous growths treated speedily and effectively. We also have mobile units that come to the village to carry out screening for breast, cervical and colon cancer.
However there is one completely unsurprising fact: the bureaucracy can be a nightmare. It’s easy to get to see our doctor because there is no appointment system. Getting a hospital appointment is a whole other ball game. And another time I’ll tell you about the Kafka-esque saga of what happened when my replacement health card went missing before it was delivered….
My experience in Sicily has been similar. People equate healthcare with hospitals, but real healthcare happens by having regular access to identify and manage things before they become an emergency.