Source: Government of Italy (English)
A steering committee meeting for the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (NRRP) was held at Palazzo Chigi today, focusing solely on the Plan’s Health Mission. The purpose of the meeting, chaired by the Minister for European Affairs, the NRRP and Cohesion Policy, Tommaso Foti, and attended by the Minister of Health, Orazio Schillaci, as well as regional presidents and representatives from the Conference of Regions and Autonomous Provinces, was to review in detail the progress of measures at local level. The healthcare-focused steering committee forms part of the enhanced monitoring of NRRP-funded investments, which see regions playing an active role in their implementation, launched by the Government ahead of negotiations with the European Commission regarding possible adjustments aimed at fully implementing the Plan.
In order to achieve the objectives required for the ninth and tenth (and final) instalment of the NRRP, the meeting reviewed implementation of strategic projects, such as: community homes and hospitals; major healthcare equipment; building renovation work and safety upgrades to ensure safe hospitals; and, digitalisation of I and II level emergency departments (‘DEA’). These measures are of significant importance to strengthen Italy’s entire national health system and improve citizens’ quality of life.
The meeting focused on the strategic investments included in the Plan’s Health Mission aimed at enhancing primary care, speeding up service delivery and improving healthcare at local level, with regional authorities, as implementing bodies, having the delicate task of finalising, testing and activating all the planned measures, in accordance with the Plan’s conditions.
In order to help regional authorities verify schedules and achieve the planned objectives, a certification has been created to certify implementation status and the achievement of the Plan’s milestones and targets. This thorough review process by the Government will allow regional authorities to indicate any areas requiring attention in relation to the specific implementation of their measures, and to propose possible solutions and targeted actions to achieve the objectives provided for.
The NRRP task force within the Presidency of the Council of Ministers, working in conjunction with the Ministry of Health, ensures the utmost cooperation with the authorities in charge of implementing measures, providing appropriate support for the preparation of the certifications. Without prejudice to the milestones and targets to be achieved for the ninth and tenth instalments, official 2024 figures confirm the launch of 480 ‘local operational centres’ (‘Centrali Operative Territoriali’, ‘COT’), the first community homes and hospitals opened throughout Italy and approximately 2,500 pieces of major healthcare equipment, which will play a crucial role in reducing regional divides and in making the services provided by the national health system more efficient.