Sardinia is one of the Italian regions most exposed to the crisis in community healthcare. Approximately 450,000 residents on the island remain without a family doctor, so much so that the Region recently launched a call for applications for over 500 general practitioners . This situation is exacerbated by the region's geographic and demographic characteristics: insularity, small municipalities, inland areas, low population density, poor transportation connections, and strong seasonal pressures related to tourism.
This is what the SIMG doctors' union highlights in a statement, which is holding its regional congress on October 16 and 17, 2026, in Cagliari with Alessandro Rossi, national president of SIMG, and Carlo Piredda, regional secretary . The congress, which will bring together approximately 200 general practitioners from across the island, will be dedicated to the memory of Maddalena Carta, a general practitioner who passed away last year at just 38 years old in Dorgali, after dedicating herself to the very end to ensuring care for her patients and those of other absent colleagues.
" Sardinia is experiencing a particularly challenging time for primary care ," Piredda emphasizes. "We are the first region in Italy for family doctor shortages, and we have approximately 450,000 citizens without a doctor. Furthermore, the reform of local healthcare, with community homes and community hospitals, has not yet truly begun . The SIMG Sardinia Congress aims to be a time for scientific updating, but also an opportunity to unite the profession and propose concrete solutions to the institutions."
According to the union, in many areas, a doctor must cover multiple municipalities simultaneously to reach the maximum coverage, resulting in increasing organizational and healthcare difficulties. The Oristano area is among the hardest-hit areas, but significant challenges are also being seen in other parts of the island . "In some areas, a doctor would have to cover three or four municipalities, often without adequate specialist or hospital support," Piredda continues. "The progressive dismantling of some hospitals makes it even less attractive to work in areas where, for a second-level assessment or clinical support, a family doctor risks being isolated. In cities like Cagliari and Sassari, thanks in part to the presence of outpatient clinics and local specialists, it is still possible to guarantee higher standards of care, but in inland areas the difficulties are evident."
