Sardinians give up treatment for economic reasons and waiting lists, or go into debt to get treatment .
This is nothing new, given that the latest Gimbe report from last October also revealed that the island holds the lowest record in Italy .
According to a survey commissioned by Facile.it from the research institute mUp Research, 400,000 patients will forgo treatment in 2025 due to financial reasons or excessive waiting times . Furthermore, nearly 3 out of 4 patients have had to deal at least once with closed waiting lists, situations in which healthcare providers suspend or block appointments when their schedules are full.
Faced with this scenario, the use of private healthcare is increasing, with 78% of patients using it at least once in 2025, nearly 4 out of 5. This comes at a high price, as the average cost for each service at a private facility is nearly 185 euros .
For this reason, as many as 43,000 Sardinians , in order to spread out their medical expenses and avoid overburdening their family budget, have taken out loans from financial institutions, friends, or relatives . According to the joint observatory Facile.it-Prestiti.it, loans for medical expenses in Sardinia last year accounted for 4.3% of all loans requested. The average loan requested is €5,776, to be repaid in 55 installments, with an average of €124, or €6,820 .
The average age of those who applied for loans to cover medical expenses is around 48, and 47% of those applying are women.
(Unioneonline)
