The 2026 guidance act (Atto di indirizzo per l’anno 2026), signed by the Minister of Health (Ministro della Salute), defines three overarching goals: safeguard the sustainability of the SSN while ensuring equity of access; promote innovation in care, research and digital health; and strengthen preparedness and response to health emergencies. It frames these goals against persistent structural pressures, including demographic ageing, chronic disease burden, territorial inequalities and workforce shortages, with specific reference to the ‘vocational crisis’ in nursing.
Thirteen strategic priorities translate these goals into operational directions. They include: reducing waiting times by implementing the 2024 decree‑law on waiting lists and its national plan; completing the reform of community‑based care and fully deploying family and community nurses; reinforcing prevention through targeted action on high‑risk groups; and consolidating oncology and mental‑health pathways. On the system side, the act calls for acceleration of the Electronic Health Record (Fascicolo sanitario elettronico, FSE), creation of a national health data ecosystem, and re‑engineering of the New Health Information System (Nuovo Sistema Informativo Sanitario, NSIS).
The guidance also links national priorities to implementation of the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (Piano Nazionale di Ripresa e Resilienza, PNRR), the Complementary Investment Plan (Piano Nazionale per gli Investimenti Complementari, PNC) and the Health Development and Cohesion Plan (Piano Sviluppo e Coesione – Salute), with a focus on closing territorial gaps and meeting EU milestones. The ministry assumes a coordinating role on the use of artificial intelligence in health, aiming to align projects with ethical and interoperability standards and to support use of real‑world data in applied research.
For regional authorities and providers, the act functions as the political compass for 2026 programming and as a signal of where ministerial scrutiny and resources will concentrate, particularly on community care, digital infrastructure and workforce policies.
Source: Ministero della Salute
Link: Atto di indirizzo per l’anno 2026 (Guidance act for 2026)
Date: 9 January 2026
