CGIL warns of risk of hospital closures in Italy — ANSA English

Italian trade union CGIL said that insufficient funding for the national health service could lead to further service cuts and hospital closures in Italy. ANSA reported this, citing FP CGIL General Secretary Federico Bozzanca.

Statement ahead of the general strike

Bozzanca explained that the FP CGIL division, which represents public-sector workers, will join the general strike scheduled for November 20. According to him, the gradual reduction of resources for the national health service creates a high risk of further cuts, hospital closures and the devaluation of staff work.

He also said that healthcare system workers are already working under an increasing workload and may be forced to seek employment elsewhere. The union representative called the situation a serious undermining of the constitutionally guaranteed right to healthcare.

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Healthcare spending

According to the figures cited by Bozzanca, Germany allocates 11% of GDP to public healthcare, France 9.4%, Sweden 9.3%, the United Kingdom 9.2%, and Slovakia 6.4%. In Italy, this figure stood at 6.2% of GDP in 2025 and, according to the union’s assessment, will continue to decline.

Bozzanca also said that public spending in Italy is declining while private spending is rising, placing a greater financial burden on families. According to the data he cited, in 2025, 9.6% of the country’s population, or more than 5.6 million people, gave up at least one necessary consultation with a specialist doctor or diagnostic examination.