To save the National Health Service, 30,000 doctors and nurses are needed, along with salary increases of between 1,000 and 2,000 euros per month.

The critical issues that have plagued the National Health Service for far too long are numerous and well-known: from acute problems in emergency rooms to extremely long waiting lists for tests and treatments for serious conditions. Therefore, the measure adopted by Health Minister Orazio Schillaci to end, starting at the end of July, contracts with cooperatives that provide so-called paid-in emergency room doctors should be welcomed. These paid-in doctors may not necessarily be experts in the specialties and clinical procedures they are called upon to perform. Their sudden shortage following the ministerial measure, however, if not compensated by immediate new hires of suitable personnel, as long hoped, could create a dangerous vacuum, the consequences of which are anyone's guess. Therefore, there remains strong concern about the serious structural and personnel shortages plaguing Italian hospitals, and an urgent comprehensive reform of the public health system is increasingly essential.

A reform that must focus on several specific objectives. Specifically, the following are essential: a special hiring plan, given that at least 10,000 specialist doctors and 20,000 nurses are urgently needed to ensure the continuity and quality of care, from emergency rooms to chronic disease management; and a significant increase in salaries for doctors and nurses, both existing and newly hired, up to €2,000 and €1,000 net per month, respectively, as an essential measure to enhance their skills and counter the growing exodus of these professionals to the private sector or abroad. Targeted incentives are also needed for doctors and residents in the most critical clinical areas, such as emergency medicine and numerous other areas where applications are increasingly unavailable.

The introduction of new professional roles essential to innovation and research, such as data managers, biostatisticians, research nurses, and artificial intelligence experts, is also necessary. These roles are essential for a modern and digitally integrated NHS. Another key focus is the structural increase in hospital bed capacity, currently far below the average for other European countries, and the strengthening of hospital-to-local integration. All these measures are essential to contain the most acute problems and current emergencies facing our healthcare system.

As the Forum, we emphasize that without a bold and structural reform, the National Health Service risks becoming increasingly fragile and unequal, unable to meet the health needs of an increasingly aging population suffering from complex conditions. For this reason, a long-term vision is needed that refocuses the role of public healthcare, healthcare professionals, and quality clinical medicine. The Forum will continue to offer its technical and scientific contribution to support any political initiative aimed at ensuring citizens receive equitable, sustainable healthcare based on shared skills and values.

* President of the Forum of Scientific Societies of Italian Hospital and University Clinicians