Only 45 per cent of Italians rate the National Health Service highly, but artificial intelligence could help
Almost three in five Italians (59 per cent) say they would be willing to consider advice based on artificial intelligence rather than consulting a doctor
Fewer than one in two Italians (45 per cent) say they are satisfied with the health service, compared with 56 per cent in other countries; this figure is slightly down on 2025 (48 per cent) but a sharp decline since the Covid era, when in 2022 the National Health Service (NHS) was more popular and 62 per cent approved of it. The only area that Italians believe receives good public support is access to medicines (59 per cent), whilst just 40 per cent feel well supported by the NHS in terms of prevention, only 24 per cent in care for the elderly and 21 per cent regarding mental health. Almost six out of ten Italians are also open to the use of artificial intelligence, provided that human interaction remains central.
The latest Italian section of the Stada Health Report 2026, presented yesterday in Milan during an event organised by the EG Stada Group in collaboration with *Il Sole 24 Ore*, provides a clear snapshot of the present and future of our healthcare system. The survey, conducted by Human8 on behalf of Stada, involved around 2,000 Italians aged between 18 and 76 as part of an online study carried out in 20 countries between February and March 2026.
Whilst Italians say they are concerned about their care needs as they grow older, looking to the future, in the present they cite waiting lists (73 per cent), access to primary care (57 per cent) and prevention (32 per cent) as the main issues. What is striking, in fact, is their ‘cautious’ openness to technology: almost 3 in 5 Italians (59 per cent) say they would be willing to consider an AI-based consultation instead of seeing a doctor, but, in most cases, only under certain conditions, such as the possibility of a subsequent consultation with a healthcare professional (23 per cent), the use of AI as a second opinion (13 per cent) or for minor ailments (11 per cent). And whilst more than 4 in 10 (44%) do not use artificial intelligence for health purposes, amongst all the others – the majority – who already do so, the most common uses relate to gaining a better understanding of diagnoses (31%) and advice on prevention (25%). Concerns include the risk of errors or misdiagnoses (52%), the use of health data without consent (36 per cent) and a reduction in human interaction (36 per cent), whilst in terms of expectations, 44 per cent hope for faster diagnoses, 39 per cent for less expensive care and 35 per cent for easier access to medical services. In the debate that followed the presentation of the data, attended by experts, doctors and pharmacists – from Claudio Cricelli (Simmg) to Valeria Fava (Cittadinanzattiva), from Andrea Mandelli (President of the Federation of Pharmacists’ Associations) to Annarosa Racca (Federfarma Lombardia) and Ugo Tamborini (Milan Medical Association) – it became clear, first and foremost, that there is a need to review the structure of the National Health Service (SSN), as well as to prioritise prevention and foster collaboration amongst all healthcare professionals. Meanwhile, regarding the potential ‘tsunami’ that artificial intelligence (AI) could trigger, the experts – Luca Buscioni (CEO of QuiCare), Fiorenzo Corti (Fimmg), Giuseppe Remuzzi (Director of the Mario Negri Institute) and Francesco Ferro Russo (President of the Young Pharmacists’ Association) – promote AI, particularly when it can improve the care pathway by freeing up time for doctors to devote to their patients.
“Today, our national health service is going through a difficult period and is showing signs of fragility, but it remains a fundamental asset for the country, which we must commit to preserving,” warns Salvatore Butti, general manager & managing director of EG Stada Group. He emphasises how the Stada Health Report has become “a tool for discussion and inspiration on a wide range of topics, from health literacy to digitalisation and artificial intelligence, which can make a significant contribution by helping healthcare professionals to make the care pathway simpler, timely and tailored to people’s needs, within a model in which human relationships must remain central’.
