Benevento.
A PET scan needed urgent treatment, but regional spending caps had already been reached, forcing an oncology patient to resort to a private diagnostic center for a test that would have cost around a thousand euros at full cost. Two years later, the woman, a resident of Benevento, obtained reimbursement from the Justice of the Peace only for the expenses incurred for the nuclear medicine diagnostic test at an accredited private center, GammacordSanniotac in Benevento. In 2016, the patient was denied the right to a full exemption for the test. The private center she subsequently contacted, despite having reached the spending cap for services recognized under the accreditation system, applied the reduced fee. The patient, however, decided to appeal to the Justice of the Peace, citing the Benevento Local Health Authority (ASL) for failing to recognize the urgency of a lifesaving procedure, for which full exemption should apply regardless of whether the service is provided in the public or private sector. The Justice of the Peace recognized the woman's case, emphasizing that "the fundamental right to health is enshrined and protected by the Constitution." The compensation paid by the Benevento Local Health Authority covers all expenses incurred, including unauthorized hospital stays. According to the judge, in cases of life-threatening or worsening illness requiring prompt treatment, when this is not provided by the public health system, the patient may turn to private facilities at the expense of the National Health Service.
Article published on November 5, 2018 - 13:10 AM - Editorial Staff
