Every year thousands of Italians face grueling travel to cure themselves away from home. And they do not do it on a whim, but because in many regions, especially in the South, they are missing health structures capable of managing the most complex cases. The confirmation comes punctual with the new ranking of the Ministry of Health who, numbers in hand, rewards The best hospitals in Italy (public or affiliated with the National Health Service).
The result? The most avant -garde structures are almost all in the north or in the center, among the first 21 hospitals there are only south.
According to the official data of the Ministry, which are based on the number and complexity of the cases processed and on the ability to attract patients from other regions, At the top of the ranking there are three Lombard hospitals:
Follow the Policlinico Sant’Orsola in Bologna, the Verona Hospital, the Pisan AO and the Gemelli Polyclinic of Rome.
The regions of the North and the Center occupy almost all important positions. Lombardy alone gets five, Veneto Tre, Tuscany three others. And in the South? Only the ranking enters the standingsHospital of the Hills of Naples and the House relief of the suffering of San Giovanni Rotondo (Foggia).
The complete ranking
Here is the complete ranking of the 21 best hospitals in Italy, with its score, according to data from the Ministry of Health that refer to the year 2023:
North South inequalities
This map of excellence tells a story that we now know well: Those who live in the south or in internal areas often have to move hundreds of kilometers to obtain adequate care. According to estimates, health mobility costs around 3 billion euros per year. Money that often weigh a lot about families, as well as on the coffers of the southern regions.
Italian health has many excellence, this is indisputable. Doctors, nurses, technicians and researchers of the highest level, avant -garde departments and high quality care. But it is equally true that These excellence are not distributed fairly.
The result is that those born in Lombardy or Veneto have, on average, more chances to access high level care near home. Those who live in Calabria, Basilicata or Molise must arm themselves with patience, money and family support to face long and expensive trips.
The Ministry promises to intervene with a plan to enhance the reference hospitals also to the South, financed by the state and not only by the regions. But they have been heard about plans and promises for years. The truth is that Italian public health needs real resources, staff, structural investments and more efficient management. It is not enough to applaud the best hospitals if thousands of people have to get into the car or take a train to be able to access it.
The Ministry’s ranking reminds us once again that we have hospitals to be proud of, but also a health system that needs to be rebalanced. Excellence must not remain “lucky islands”, but to become a model to extend to the whole country.
