The Council of Ministers approved the Simplification Bill 2024, which will come into force after publication in the Official Juarnal, introducing several measures to improve healthcare in Italy.

The Bill is accompanied by a decree simplifying access to certain public services; in Chapter II "Simplification measures in health matters" a number of new features are introduced, such as the issuing of illness certificates also remotely using telemedicine tools.

The most innovative measure involves the provision of NHS services in pharmacies. In fact, some establishments will see a sign accompanying the green cross with the name "service pharmacy", which will indicate the new services provided, such as: the inoculation of vaccines to persons aged 12 years and over, the dispensing of medical devices needed to treat patients in home, residential and semi-residential care, the possibility of choosing a family doctor and paediatrician, the delivery of medicines for home care, and even telemedicine.

Moreover, alongside the family doctor or paediatrician, the pharmacist will play an active role in carrying out diagnostic tests to combat antibiotic resistance, contributing to a more informed and targeted use of antibiotics.

While these measures represent an innovative resource, citizens will still have to wait: the full operation of the new fee schedules on outpatient specialist and prosthetic services, which regulate the remuneration of services provided within the framework of the Essential Levels of Care (LEA), initially scheduled for 1st April 2024, has been postponed to 1st January 2025.