The PNRR is structured around “macro” missions, which are then broken down into specific projects and interventions. Within the chapter dedicated to “Mission 6,” which focuses on health, the document notes that “overall, the National Health Service presents adequate health outcomes and a high life expectancy at birth, even though healthcare expenditure as a percentage of GDP is lower than the EU average.” This observation alone should help us understand the enormous potential of our system, which, considering the conditions in which it has operated until now, is second to none in terms of the quality of services provided.
How can we improve and optimize the significant investments coming our way? How can we ensure that this truly becomes a turning point for Italian healthcare?
The National Health Service (NHS) must establish a system for monitoring and evaluating the investments planned in the PNRR. Defining automatic and certified evaluation mechanisms, made known in advance, could allow decision-makers to optimize project drafting and understand the funding conditions at the ex-ante, in-progress, and ex-post stages.
Investments should be directed based on needs, certainly defining the necessary infrastructure and staffing standards, but ABOVE ALL THE STANDARDS OF PROCESS AND OUTCOMES. DIGITAL HEALTH, in a world where digital technology is now a foundational element of every productive activity, must be a condition for accreditation even for smaller facilities.
A notable audit by the Court of Auditors in 2017 highlighted that the number of MRI and CT scanners was 60% higher than the European average per capita, leading to an easily imaginable increase in costs, at the expense of the productive side of healthcare: prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of diseases.
The machinery and equipment park is, in some cases, extremely outdated, and certainly, modernizing the system is necessary. However, it is not enough to simply replace old equipment with newer machines: it is crucial to manage their ALLOCATION and integration into care processes that have evolved in the meantime. It is essential to PLAN, MAINTAIN, and MONITOR the proper use of often very expensive equipment, which sometimes is not used simply because Health Technology Assessment (HTA) has not been conducted.
In essence, to ensure that we do not waste the incoming resources, it is necessary to calculate, as in industry, the return on investment for each process and action, aiming for a social benefit that cannot be directly compared to the profit generated by other sectors, namely THE HEALTH OF CITIZENS.
Let us not waste this opportunity; Italy deserves a modern healthcare system, and we have the means to excel. Organization, monitoring, digital efficiency. If we adhere to these principles, improvements will be lasting, and the return on investment from PNRR funds will be evident to all of us every time we visit a hospital or care facility.
