Italian Doctor Exodus Accelerates, Strain on National health System Worsens
Rome, italy – The emigration of italian doctors is sharply increasing, placing further pressure on the nation’s already struggling National Health Service (NHS). Over 7,000 doctors left the Italian public healthcare system in 2024, a 133% increase compared to 2022, according to the annual report “Horizons of the treatment: innovation in timely diagnosis and in the therapies of excellence” by the Institute for Competitiveness (I-COM).
The report also highlights a critical shortage of nurses, with Italy employing 6.8 nurses per 1,000 inhabitants, below the European average of 8.2. Approximately 30-33,000 nurses retire annually, while universities only graduate around 10,000 new nurses.University applications for nursing programs have also declined, falling below the available places for the 2025/2026 academic year-less than 19,000 candidates for over 20,600 available spots.
Despite increased spending, Italy’s healthcare investment remains lower than other major European countries as a percentage of GDP, limiting the NHS’s capacity and resilience. The 2025 Budget Law allocates up to 142.3 billion for healthcare by 2026, but challenges persist in ensuring equitable access to services, evidenced by disparities highlighted in the Livelli essenziali di Assistenza (LEA) and increasing interregional health mobility.
Pharmaceutical expenditure in Italy reached 36.2 billion in 2023, second only to Spain, but the NHS covers only 64% of this cost, with the remainder borne by families. A meaningful portion of Italian healthcare spending is directed towards hospitals, accounting for nearly 70% of the total.
Negotiations for the renewal of the 2022-2024 contract for healthcare management personnel – encompassing over 130,000 medical, health, veterinary, and health professionals – began on October 1st, with the next meeting scheduled for October 15th.
