hospitals | Italy from the Inside

Pronto Soccorso (E.R.) sign

Italy doesn’t have any medical programs for non-EU citizens, and for this reason you are encouraged to purchase medical insurance coverage (assicurazione) in case an unfortunate event should require you to need medical assistance or hospitalization during your visit.

That said, I’ve heard of many tourists that have been treated for free at some Hospitals’ Emergency Rooms. However, as an Italian living abroad, I’ve always paid. At the time of this writing, regular ER visits, with no hospitalization, are €50. As you can see, they are way more affordable than in the States.

The Emergency Room is called Pronto Soccorso. Call the toll free number 112 in case of an emergency.

As in the States, once you get there nurses will evaluate the seriousness of your problem and will give you a code (red code = most serious, white code = less serious). Expect a very long and tedious wait. If you consider your illness to be mild, you may want to check at a pharmacy first.

{This is an excerpt from chapter 8 “Hospitals, Medical Assistance and Pharmacies” of the eBook “Italy from the Inside. A native Italian reveals the secrets of traveling in Italy”. Buy our eBook on Amazon and leave us a review! If it’s good, you’ll make us happy, if it’s bad, you’ll make us improve. Thank you either way!}

In Italy, public hospitals are the norm. They are good institutions with good doctors (dottori), however the quality of service, and I mean the “guest” service not the health service, may not be the same as the hospitals in the United States. For example, most of the time there are no private rooms, but only rooms that are shared by 2 or more people (sometimes they can accommodate up to 8 people). And quite often the buildings themselves are historical constructions that originally weren’t even intended to be health institutions, therefore they present obvious architectural limitations. Take the Venice’s Ospedale Civile for example. Built in 1675 it was the convent of the nearby Basilica dei SS. Giovanni e Paolo.

Photo by G. Dall’Orto via Wikimedia

Private hospitals (ospedali privati) or clinics (cliniche private or case di cura privata) offer services that are closer to the American ideal and have private rooms, but obviously are more expensive.

Casa di cura sign (Photo by paolo Tosolini)

Both public hospitals and clinics are recognizable by the International sign of a red cross on a blue background, and both offer the same quality of medical treatment.

Hospital sign (Photo by Paolo Tosolini)

{This is an excerpt from chapter 8 “Hospitals and pharmacies” of the eBook “Italy from the Inside. A native Italian reveals the secrets of traveling in Italy”}

The Italian ER

Hospitals in Italy