In 2015 some 405,000 Italians
have needed help in obtaining medicines they couldn't otherwise
afford, Italy's Medicines Bank Foundation said Thursday.
This is 6.4% up over last year, the foundation added.
Foreign residents have accounted for 55% of requests so far
this year, although the quota of Italians seeking help is on the
rise.
Northern Lombardy collected the biggest percentage of
medicines at 18.9% followed by Emilia Romagna and Veneto at
11.1%.
The greatest number of requests for medicines comes from
people suffering from respiratory problems, followed by people
suffering from cardiovascular and gastrointestinal problems.
"These people are invisible to all of us but not to
disease," said Luca Pani, director general of the Italian
medicines agency AIFA.
"In this sense disease is the last bastion of democracy.
Often these people don't even know treatment exists and often
they are patients with serious diseases," he added.
"Unfortunately the 400,000 people we manage to reach
represent just 10% of Italy's poor," said Medicines Bank
Foundation president Paolo Gradnick.
"A lot still has to be done."
photo: Pani
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