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Although Italy has one of the most highly ranked health care systems in the world according to the WHO, it is not uniform across the country.
There is a noticeable discrepancy between Italy’s private and public hospitals and a disparity in care available in different regions of the country.
Northern Italy is a more affluent area and tends to have better public medical facilities, while the south, which is poorer, has lower quality public medical facilities.
Foreigners with valid visas are entitled to the same public health care access and treatments as Italian citizens. Private medical insurance is mandatory if you are a non-EU citizen applying for residency; once applied, you can enroll in SSN (the national health service).
For EU citizens not employed in Italy, national health insurance is available only after five years of legal stay in the country.
Read our article on health care in Italy for a more detailed account of how the health system works for foreigners.
