Translated automatically by AI from the Italian original.
PALERMO – The President of the Sicilian Region, Renato Schifani, has signed an urgent directive to the regional minister for health and the director general of the strategic planning department, ordering immediate budget cuts in Sicily’s health service. The measure requires all necessary steps to reduce the deficit of health authorities and hospitals, including formally starting removal proceedings against general managers who fail to balance their budgets, as required by current regulations.
At the same time, the president demanded an immediate report on the operational measures already taken across the region.
Deficit estimates and the update to the regional DEF
Schifani’s directive follows the financial estimates in the update to the Regional Economy and Finance Document (DEF) 2027–2029, approved by the regional executive on 3 November.
- The budget as of 30 June: consolidated economic and financial data as of 30 June estimate a deficit of about €650 million for 2026.
- Containment targets: according to projections by the strategic planning department, the rationalisation measures already requested could reduce the deficit to about €400 million. Schifani ordered that at least this reduction target must be met, while continuing rigorous action to further cut the financial imbalance.
Statements by President Renato Schifani
“Anyone running a health authority must guarantee the necessary care for citizens and at the same time manage public resources with the utmost rigour. The targets assigned to managers are precise commitments, and each director will be held personally accountable for their actions. My government has set out a recovery path that must be fully implemented within the health system as well.”
“Every euro allocated to health must be used to improve care: it is a duty of responsibility to the people of Sicily, especially towards those waiting for a specialist appointment, a diagnostic test or hospital admission. We need concrete choices and transparent, verifiable results.”
