Healthcare: Campania halts scheduled hospitalizations in accredited private facilities.

Starting today, scheduled hospitalizations in accredited private nursing homes in Campania will be suspended. The protest, announced by Aiop Campania, comes after nine months, according to the association, without a definitive budget and without the necessary contracts to establish the quantity and remuneration of services provided on behalf of the regional health service.

According to an initial estimate provided by AIOP, the suspension could result in approximately 3.000 postponed services. Emergency services, however, remain guaranteed. The reasons for the dispute were explained by AIOP regional president Sergio Crispino, who in Naples reconstructed the months of discussions with the Region and identified the breaking point at the last meeting on September 15th.

"We didn't declare war; we're simply defending ourselves. The meeting ended in nothing. This was after the institution had been warned for a long time that it couldn't push too hard with regard to a sector—that of accredited hospitals, which, together with public facilities, support the Regional Health Service," Crispino said.

According to AIOP, the facilities have so far received advance payments based on the previous year's budget, which remained essentially unchanged. The association also has its sights set on rates, which it says have been unchanged for 14 years and have been reduced by 10%.

Data presented at the conference shows that in 2025, of the approximately €5,3 billion allocated to the regional hospital fund, €756 million, or 14,23%, was allocated to accredited hospitals. However, private facilities, according to AIOP, provide approximately 30% of hospital services, while the remaining 70% is provided by the public system.

For 2024, the association estimates that accredited nursing homes will provide 215.942 services, for a total value of €814 million, against a budget of €747,8 million. The difference, €66,2 million, represents services performed beyond the allocated limit and not remunerated.

Crispino also raised the issue of healthcare mobility, another particularly sensitive issue for Campania. In the tables presented by AIOP, the net loss related to hospitalizations outside the region is estimated at €308 million in 2024 and €314 million in 2025.

On the supply front, the association also reports a regional availability of 3,21 beds per thousand inhabitants, compared to a national average of 3,66.

"Services can't be provided free of charge. Furthermore, building a network of hospital services means investing in professionalism and equipment. If this investment isn't supported by work, by keeping the facilities working, they could become economically unbalanced. The problem is the patients who aren't treated and are forced to migrate," Crispino emphasized.

AIOP is seeking answers from the Region regarding the level of resources allocated to the sector, contracts, rate adjustments, and payment for services already performed. Among the areas identified as priorities are the oncology network, rehabilitation, and emergency rooms.

"The funds exist; the state has included them in the budget. There's a 6,5% increase that the Region, for some unknown reason, doesn't want to recognize for the accredited sector. This is what we're defending ourselves against: this lack of planning," Crispino concluded.