Family doctors and European definition may disappear in Italy

One of the disturbing implications hidden in the new indicative Italian Laws about Primary Care is that the WONCA – EURACT European Definition of General Practice may disappear. Even the concept of personal care is put under question. At first reading, the government draft shows a dangerous picture for both doctors and patients. In recent months many people tried to divide doctors between H16 and H24, but it is curious to note how the much more worrying deletion of the words ‘‘Family Medicine’’ (replaced with a generic ‘‘Primary Care’’) passed over in silence. In practice it is as if tomorrow the Italian Republic is simply called Italy in official acts.