Italian Health System Faces Urgent Need to Recruit Over 50,000 Doctors by 2032.

KPL/Prensa Latina: To avoid a potential collapse, the Italian health system is confronted with the urgent necessity to hire approximately 55,000 doctors and 44,000 nurses within the next decade, in addition to 20,000 other health and rehabilitation workers, as revealed by a recent study. According to Lao News Agency, an analysis conducted by specialists from the Bank of Italy indicates that these recruitment figures are driven by the anticipated retirement of nearly 27,000 doctors, 24,000 nurses, and an equivalent number of other health workers by the year 2032, underscoring the need for the national health service to bolster its workforce. Compounding the issue is the aging demographic of current specialists, with 26% of Italian doctors being over the age of 60 by the end of 2022. This percentage surges to 34% in the southern regions of the country, exacerbating the workforce challenge. This trend is especially pronounced among general practitioners and pediatricians, where the proportion of professionals aged 60 and older reaches 40% on a national scale and 45% in southern Italy. Francesco Maria Chelli, the President of the Italian National Institute of Statistics (ISTAT), highlighted in a recent parliamentary hearing that the aging workforce poses a significant challenge for the health sector, particularly considering the expected increase in demand for healthcare services driven by demographic shifts.