Against the stability law, on October 27, it will not be only doctors and health managers who will demonstrate, but also citizens. In fact, in these hours, declarations of mobilization are arriving not only from the medical unions, but also from consumer associations. This is the case, for example, of Cittadinanzattiva which, in a press release, equates Monti's Italy to Thatcherite England of the 1980s, in which «the flagship Health Service at a world level was destroyed». New criticisms also come from the Anaao: "The increase in the definancing, which has risen to almost 25 billion euros" he announced in a press release "brings darkness to public health, to which the dark skies operation is evidently dedicated". In summary, the new cut provides for a cut of 600 million euros for next year and 1 billion in 2014 through a ceiling for the expenses that the Regions will be able to support in the purchase of goods and services. And the NHS staff will be burdened by the measures envisaged by the blocking of the contractual holiday.
«We risk the collapse of the welfare system» attacks Anaao «with Healthcare in the role of scapegoat, a laboratory where private law recipes are experimented and the technocratic solution to the crisis is tested».
The Minister of Health Balduzzi, for his part, tries to throw water on the fire: "There are no risks for the maintenance of the national health service and the cut reduced to 600 million euros ensures that the contribution of the health sector to the stability law is sustainable without deconstructing the system which remains one of the great pillars of public life in our country". At the same time, the Minister urged the Regions "so that the reductions in spending are achieved with adequate tools and with an operational sharing between the government, the Ministry of Health in particular, and the Regions". But in the crosshairs of white coats there is also the contractual freeze extended until 2014 and the suspension of the payment of the contractual holiday allowance for 2013-2014: "A serious mistake" the doctors say "because these measures decimate the purchasing power with losses that can be estimated in the order of tens of thousands of euros, greater for young people, and damages on the pension plan".
October 12, 2012 – DoctorNews
Cittadinanzattiva, with new cuts we want to close the NHS
Still 1 billion less for the National Health Fund which added to the other government measures we arrive at the stratospheric figure of over 23 billion. Today the executive led by Mario Monti likewise wants to distr
