Healthcare waiting lists: up to 102 days for an urgent mammogram

Among the most difficult tests to book are CT scans, MRI scans and ultrasound scans, and more than half of the public (56.6%) say that the waiting time for diagnostic tests is longer than that specified in the priority code on the prescription.

The situation is very bad – according to Cittadinanzattiva – for certain tests that should be carried out immediately: patients face waiting times of between 23 and 31 days for tests such as colonoscopies (which, as a priority screening procedure, are included in the Essential Levels of Care) and gastroscopies with urgent priority (within 72 hours); for a bilateral mammogram with a short-wait code (within 10 days), the wait is as long as 102 days.

Still on the subject of breast cancer prevention, the waiting time has tripled to 480 days for a Class P (scheduled) mammogram, which is supposed to be carried out within 120 days. The situation is no better for a Class P colonoscopy, where the waiting time is 420 days, falling to 310 days if the examination has been classified by the prescriber as ‘deferrable’ (to be carried out within 60 days).

The longest reported waiting time was for a brain MRI in priority category P: 540 days, compared with the 120 days stipulated by the priority code.

Failure to comply with priority codes also affects almost 40% of specialist appointments. Here are some examples: a cardiology appointment to be provided within 10 days (short-wait category) takes up to 42 days, and if in category P – meaning it should be provided within 120 days – the wait is 270 days. Record delays for eye consultations: up to 483 days for a P-class appointment. For an oncology consultation, the wait is 180 days (6 months) for Class D, a timeframe that is poorly suited to the need for prompt action in cancer care.

It is also very difficult to get follow-up appointments – as Cittadinanzattiva notes once again, based on reports to the Pit Salute – confirming that, once they have entered the system, patients are often left to face interminable waiting times for subsequent stages of their treatment. A few examples: even for urgent check-ups, patients wait 46 days for an orthopaedic appointment, 42 for an ophthalmology appointment, and 41 for a cardiology appointment. The most dramatic figure is for gynaecological check-ups, with a wait of 660 days (almost two years) for a scheduled appointment (Class P).

From the shortcomings reported in local healthcare services to the challenges in prosthetics – a sector thrown into crisis by the implementation of new fee structures – the NHS is also facing difficulties in other areas not covered by the standard treatment lists.
Reports to the PIT concerning local healthcare – again referring to the total of 14,176 reports – account for 19.7% and relate in particular to relations with GPs and paediatricians, critical issues relating to mental health, residential care homes (RSAs) and home care.
In third place by number of reports, and showing a sharp increase compared to 2024 (from 0.9% to 7%), is prosthetics and supplementary care, as mentioned: the administrative delays in implementing tariffs, coupled with the discrepancy between the established reimbursements and actual market costs, have created bureaucratic difficulties, effectively hindering citizens’ access to these services, according to Cittadinanzattiva. In this context, the Lazio Regional Administrative Court has just issued a new ‘rejection’ of the Ministry of Health’s new Lea Tariff Schedule, marking another point in favour of accredited private providers who are calling for an upward revision of the ‘prices’ of services.

The report makes it clear that there is still a long way to go before rights in the healthcare sector are fully established: ‘Over the thirty years that the Pit Salute advocacy centres have been operating, Cittadinanzattiva has given a voice to over half a million people, helping to achieve historic victories for the equity and dignity of citizens and patients, from the recognition of compensation for infected blood (Law 210/92), to the approval of Law 38 of 2010 on pain, to the abolition of the superticket in 2020’, says Anna Lisa Mandorino, General Secretary of Cittadinanzattiva. But “other battles are still ongoing,” she emphasises, “such as the one concerning waiting times. Although recent regulations have helped to raise public awareness and trial more effective solutions to the issue, citizens still do not feel their rights to access care are being respected.”

Mandorino then goes on to outline the other priorities for a country undergoing a major demographic transition: ‘The reform of care for elderly people who are unable to look after themselves has yet to be implemented. What does need to be achieved, however, is the recognition of family carers, who are universally regarded as essential to our welfare system but still lack effective safeguards,” he emphasises. “And there is still a long way to go with regard to community homes, a model that is struggling to take off, with many facilities remaining empty and of little use to the local communities. Finally, we have recently launched a campaign on the first thousand days with the aim of developing a national policy that helps transform the first 1,000 days into a concrete lever for social equity, public health and welfare innovation,” he concludes.