26% of hospitals fail childbirth limit

(ANSA) - Rome, October 20 - A quarter of hospitals performing births in Italy fall below the minimum safety threshold of 500 births per year, a health ministry report said Monday. A total of 133 out of 521 hospitals examined in the Esiti 2014 (2014 results) report did not meet a 2010 regulation that called for terminating obstetrics in facilities that did not assist more than 500 births annually. The regulation was put in place after it was demonstrated that higher volumes of births led to better health outcomes for women and their children.