Even the homeless will have the right to a family doctor. This is provided for in a law proposed by Democratic MP Marco Furfaro and approved unanimously by the Chamber of Deputies. The provision, which is composed of three articles, provides for an allocation of 1 million euros for 2025 and 2026,progressively ensure the right to healthcare for all homeless people,without registered residence in the national territory or abroad. This is an experimental measure that must now obtain the green light from the Senate to enter into force.
“This law not only restores the full right to care to tens of thousands of people, but they will finally know that the State has not abandoned them. And that emerging from a condition of fragility is possible. I am happy. Because today politics is able to give the most beautiful image of oneself, the one that it changes people’s lives. For the better“. This was stated by the Democratic group leader in the House Social Affairs Committee and party welfare manager Marco Furfaro, the first signatory of the bill approved unanimously by the Chamber, which recognizes the right to healthcare for homeless people, even if they do not have registered residence in Italy or abroad. Currently, anyone who is not registered in the municipal registry loses the right to healthcare, except for emergencies in the emergency room – underlines a note from the Democratic Party -. We are talking about fathers of families who separate fthey end up sleeping in the car,women victims of violence who run away from home and go to live with friends, people who lose their jobs and end up on the streets and have no roof over their heads. People who for various reasons lose the possibility of having a own home and who unfortunately also lose their residence as a result. And this leads to the lack of full access to the right to care because without residence you cannot access a general practitioner (and the Serts, a clinic, a mental health centre). With the Furfaro law, this serious gap which prevents the homeless from accessing care is filled.
The new law is in line with the principles of Articles 3 (equality) e 32 (Right to health) of the Constitution, and with the law that established the National Health Service in 1978, according to which health care must be guaranteed to everyone, without distinction of individual or social conditions. The new law will be tested for two years (2025-2026) in 14 metropolitan cities (Bari, Bologna, Cagliari, Catania, Florence, Genoa, Messina, Milan, Naples, Palermo, Reggio Calabria, Rome, Turin and Venice) with a budget of 2 million euros, covering over 60% of the homeless people in our country.
Active Citizenship, basic assistance guaranteed to the invisible
“The bill approved last nightAndan important step forward towards the universalistic system in which we believe and on which our National Health Service is based, and it makes us particularly proud because it takes on board the request to guarantee,basic healthcare for the most fragile and invisible– freeing it from registered residence and regular residence – which we had advanced through our Civic Charter of Global Health. At the same time it is the demonstration that the concept of inclusion is practicable through public policies that concretely make rights enforceable, starting with that of health, the only right to be indicated as “fundamental” by our Constitution”, dichiara Francesca Moccia, deputy general secretary of Active Citizenship.
According to 2022 data from ISTAT, there are 96,197 homeless and homeless people registered in the registry. The majority is made up of men and 38% is represented by foreign citizens, in over half of the cases coming from the African continent. The homeless and homeless people surveyed are residents in 2,198 Italian municipalities, but 50% of them are concentrated in 6 municipalities: Rome with 23% of the registry registrations, Milan (9%), Naples (7%), Turin ( 4.6%), Genoa (3%) and Foggia (3.7%).
“Thanks to this provision just approved by the Chamber, we aim to guarantee a right and dignity to thousands of people who, precisely as a consequence of precarious living conditions, often have significant physical or mental health problems. Now – concludes Moccia – we hope for a rapid and equally unanimous approval in the Senate”.