PAEDIATRIC CARE IN ITALY

Key words: Paediatric services, Hospital care, Hospital admission rate, Primary paediatric care

The Author examines the present situation of paediatric care in Italy, and pays specific attention to the role played by paediatric general practitioner. In spite of decreasing birth rates and morbidity, there is a sovrabundant offer of paediatric care, with excessive number of hospital paediatric services and coexistance of paediatric general practitioners with child health clinics. As a consequence, hospital admission rates have remained high and primary care services have often maintained overlapping functions. The institution, some 20 years age, of paediatric general practitioner was not effective in reducing hospital admission rates, due most of all to the uncontrolled offer of hospital care. The University bears also responsibility for the excessive number of paediatricians that have been produced in the two last decades. Rationalization of paediatric services and better integration among them must be pursued.