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5.4 HOW DOES HEALTH ASSISTANCE WORK
5.4.1 FAMILY DOCTOR
In order to be entitled to any type of health assistance, upon registration with SSN, it is necessary to choose a doctor, also known as "medico di famiglia" (family doctor).
It is necessary to consult list of doctors at the ASL. For children from 0 to 14 years a paediatrician must be chosen with same modalities of family doctor. Choice of family doctor and paediatrician may be modified in any moment.
Every family doctor, chosen through ASL, has a surgery and must warrant, freely, medical visits in his/her surgery and at patient's home.
Family doctors issue at request:
- sickness certificates for workers;
- re-admission certificates for schools.
Family doctors warrant:
- specialist visits requests and diagnostic controls;
- non urgent requests of hospitalisation;
- thermal cure requests.
All this is done freely by family doctor.
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5.4.2 MEDICINES
Medicines are sold only at the chemist. Medical prescription (ricetta) is compulsory for some types of medicine. In the prescription, that is handed to chemists, doctor authorises purchase of medicine. Family doctor supplies freely the prescription, but only after a medical visit.
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5.4.3 HOSPITALS
In Italy exist public and private hospitals. All those in need may be hospitalised in public hospitals. In any case, hospital firstly cures citizen and then recuperates expense reimburse.
To be hospitalised a request written by family doctor is sufficient, but is also possible to ask directly the Medico di Guardia (Emergency Medical Service) at Pronto Soccorso (Casualty Ward).
In public hospitals staff (doctors, nurses and technicians) do not receive any compensation in money. Requests of this type are abusive and may be denounced to the health direction of hospital.
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5.4.4 SICK PERSONS' RIGHTS
In all hospitals, patients have some very important rights:
- information: doctors have the duty to give patient, considering their cultural level and their understanding capacity, the most serene and complete information on sickness of patient.
- Experimentation of medicines and new technologies is allowed only if authorised by the Ministry of Health and after assent of patient, who must be informed adequately on aims, methods, benefits and possible risks. Patient must give written consent and has the right to retire from experimentation in any moment.
- Every patient in hospital has a cartella clinica (clinical card), filled in by curing doctor. On the cartella clinica all health information of patient are written. It is an official document: any violation (cancelling or ripped pages) must be denounced. The cartella clinica is a strictly personal document and only person hospitalised may require a copy at ASL, upon leaving hospital.
- Every patient has the right that no person not connected to the health staff of hospital has knowledge of his/her disease. Doctor must control that the personal cards and documents of patient are kept far from any indiscretion.
- Hospitals must warrant religious assistance for their patients. Hospitals have the duty to procure, upon request of patient, also non catholic ministers of religion.
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5.4.5 THE RIGHTS UF THE USERS
Every Health Local Company (ASL) and every Hospital Company (Azienda Ospedaliera - in the Frosinone we have none of them, but only hospital districts affiliated to the ASL), according to the Health Ministry disposition has arranged a document, available for all citizens-users, where it is specified their organization, the services offered in its different areas, the quality standards they have assumed, the programs and the controls on these standards, their instruments to verify the quality of their services, the instruments offered to the citizens-users to denounce any inefficiency.
This document called Services Paper (Carta dei Servizi) is supposed to help the National Health System in satisfying the citizens-users through their participation in the realization of high quality services (even with voluntary associations participation).
The Services Paper of the Frosinone ASL is available in the Public Relations Offices and in the Family Planning Centers (Consultori familiari).
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