Italy permanently resides in Europe’s top-3 medical industries. Every citizen and resident with a special status has the right to receive state medical care. However, the system has problems and nuances that you should be aware of.

European Health Insurance Card. Read here how to get preferential medical care in the EU countries.

Find the 7 best places to live in Italy for a high quality of life here.

Advantages, disadvantages, peculiarities

The main advantage of treatment in Italy is the high level of local doctors’ qualifications. They are considered to be one of the best in the world and often receive invitations to the leading clinics in Israel, Switzerland, and the USA.

The disadvantage is a poorly designed system of medical services and care provision, which threatens personal and general safety. Long story short, health care in Italy is modeled in such a way that it is awfully difficult to get to a doctor on time (which is why the therapy of the consequences, rather than the prevention of serious problems, prevails). Vulnerable segments of the population — pensioners, low-income families, or families with many children — are also vulnerable from a health point of view.

In addition, the negative aspect of local medicine is affected by the following nuances:

● Italians are vigorous and positive, thus complaining, inter alia health is not generally approved here.

● The concept of childcare sick leave in Italy does not exist. If you want to devote time to it, you must take a vacation.

● Sick leave is also kind of unreachable. If offered, it will be for 3 days at maximum. If you beseech, they will extend it for another day or two. But more than 5 days of sick leave is rarely given.

● ARVI is not an excuse for skipping work, school, or kindergarten. The whole team got

sick? So what? You showed appreciation for the opportunity to earn or study, and that's the bottom line.

● Even a cold in Italy is treated with antibiotics.

The cost of medicine in Italy

Even after 20 years of living on the territory of the republic, people cannot confidently answer the question of whether medicine is paid or paid-free. On the one hand, everyone knows that it is free and it often showcases one of the greatest advantages of living on the Apennine Peninsula. But actually, the situation is not so idyllic. So, it is better to accept that medicine in Italy is free of charge yet not really.

Read more about health insurance for expats in Italy here.