Trentino at the top for quality of life and health, Veneto for healthcare

(by Livia Parisi)

Ability to move independently, suffer from anxiety and depression, perception of pain: if the quality of life related to health is measured in this way, the luckiest are the citizens who live in Trentino Alto Adige, while the worst situation is in Umbria. But, contrary to what one might think, it does not only depend on the health services that the regions are able to guarantee: Sicily and Calabria, in fact, have a quality of life related to health that is better than regions like Veneto, where instead the facilities offer higher levels of health protection. The photograph is taken by the 13th Crea report of the University of Rome Tor Vergata, and from which emerges an improvement in health services in the South and a reduction in the gap between North and South. But in the 'critical range' of the ranking of the results of the offer of public health services there remain five regions and all of them in the South: Puglia, Campania, Basilicata, Sicily and Calabria.

The study by the Center for Applied Economic Research in Health was conducted with the contribution of a panel of 107 experts from the National Health Service, including doctors, nurses, patients, producers and institutions. The report measured the quality of life related to health through five dimensions: the citizen's ability to carry out daily activities alone, to take care of himself, to suffer from anxiety or depression, to feel physical pain, and the ability to move independently. In this ranking, after Trentino Alto Adige there is Abruzzo/Molise, in third place Friuli Venezia Giulia, then Tuscany, Liguria, Sardinia and Lombardy. Then Lazio, tied with Piedmont/Valle d'Aosta and Calabria. Before Umbria we find Campania and Puglia/Basilicata. "The quality of life related to health - explains Daniela d'Angela, scientific coordinator of the study and president of Crea Sanità - is attributable to lifestyles, cultural, educational and environmental factors. However, it is not strictly linked to health performance".

In fact, to evaluate the universality and fairness of the services offered to citizens, the Report also measured these, based on parameters such as health mobility, hospitalization rate, emergency room visits, out-of-hospital care, vaccines and cancer screening. From the point of view of health performance, after Veneto, which has a score of 55%, there are 6 regions: PA di Bolzano with 50%, Emilia-Romagna, Liguria, Tuscany, Piedmont and Lombardy. In the "intermediate" range (33%-41%) there are 8 regions: Friuli-Venezia Giulia, Sardinia, Valle d'Aosta, Molise, Abruzzo, Lazio, Umbria and Marche. In the area defined as "critical" (under 33%) there are 5: Puglia, Campania, Basilicata, Sicily and, last in the ranking with 23%, Calabria.

The average index went from 35% in 2019 to 38% in 2024, a figure that indicates a general improvement, but the South recorded the most significant (+0.38%), followed by the Center +0.09%, North-West +0.08% and North-East +0.01%. "The levels remain far from optimal values. ;The gap between North and South persists, but the South is gaining ground", comments Federico Spandonaro, president of the Scientific Committee of Crea. The study also evaluated the resilience of health services, i.e. the ability to respond to health needs in the medium to long term: the best regions are Piedmont, Lombardy, Veneto, Liguria and Emilia-Romagna.; "These data - concludes Spandonaro - are not a report card but aim to improve the planning of services. They show the importance of investing in targeted health policies to improve efficiency and equity".