ROME, Nov. 20 (Xinhua) -- Doctors and nurses in Italy's public healthcare system staged a 24-hour strike on Wednesday, calling for better pay and increased investment in the National Health System (NHS).
The strike, which saw participation from up to 85 percent of medical staff in public hospitals nationwide, left only emergency services operational, according to Ansa News Agency, which cited three major medical unions.
Union leaders described the high turnout as a "significant signal" that underscores the "unacceptable working conditions in Italian hospitals." They urged immediate action to address these issues in a joint statement.
The three unions involved, Anaao-Assomed, Cimo-Fesmed Federation, and Nursing Up, highlighted several key demands. These include increased public funding for the NHS and stricter measures to protect healthcare workers, following a rise in assaults by patients' relatives and friends.
The unions also jointly called on Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni to arrange an urgent meeting in the coming days.
In the latest budget law passed in October, the Italian cabinet allocated 6.4 billion euros (about 6.7 billion U.S. dollars) to the NHS for 2024 and 2025, bringing the country's National Health Fund up to 134 billion euros in 2024, and to 136.48 billion euros in 2025.
The protesting medical unions argued that the investments were insufficient as a percentage of the country's gross domestic product and inadequate to revive the struggling healthcare system.
Although the Italian government has promised to allocate additional resources to the National Health Fund, the unions deplored that "the funding is barely sufficient to maintain the status quo."
