490 Week 5

For our 490 class excursion this week we were able to see an Italian hospital. This was definitely one of the most interesting site visits we have had while in Rome. We visited Santo Spirito Hospital. Santo Spirito is the oldest hospital in Rome. Before this visit I had no idea what to expect, but I wont lie I had pretty low expectations.



When we first arrived at the hospital, a doctor talked to us about the procedures of the hospital and of the health care system itself. While it was hard to understand what he was saying through his broken English, I think I was able to get the basic points. One thing that he told us that interested me the most was how they pay for health care in Italy. Each Italian citizen pays 1000 Euro at the beginning of each year. This is a annual fee that covers you whether you go to the doctors once for a cold or whether your a cancer patient.

One thing that impressed me about the Santo Sprito hospital is their prescription medication dispensing. They used what looked like a high tech vending machine, that was connected to a central network. Using bar codes on the medications and records of which nurse took out which medication, they are able to keep accurate records. This helps ensure that medications are not being wasted or abused.

John Goodman writes in Opposing Viewpoints that a common myth about an American single payer national health care system is it will reduce the cost of prescription drugs. However, Italy seems to have the proper regulations and networking abilities to make sure that most drugs are not lost to abuse or being misplaced. While this does not guarantee lower medication costs, it is most definitely a step in the right direction.