Tuesday 15 September 2026 09:09
Doctors in Italy go on strike for two days over new rules
GPs across Italy walk out in protest at working-hour rules and contract changes, with rallies planned in Rome, Milan, Naples and other cities.Italy's family doctors are staging a two-day strike on Tuesday 15 and Wednesday 16 September, in a protest called by the Italian Doctors' Union (Sindacato Medici Italiani, SMI) against a partial agreement on Case della Comunità, the community health centres at the heart of Italy's post-pandemic primary care reform.
The mobilisation targets the deal reached last June, which SMI says would impose fixed working hours on GPs staffing the centres and introduce a "single role" (ruolo unico) for general practitioners, effectively binding them more closely to salaried employment terms rather than their traditional status as self-employed contractors with the national health service.
In place of these measures, the union is calling for a "double channel" allowing doctors to opt into employee status voluntarily, the launch of a university specialisation school in general medicine, the reinstatement of a separate area for "medicina dei servizi", more staff for emergency response service 118, and stronger protections for GPs covering injury and maternity leave.
Rallies in six cities
SMI has organised demonstrations and assemblies in several cities on 15 September: in Rome, outside the union's headquarters from 10.00 to 13.00; in Naples, outside RAI's local offices from 11.30; in Pescara, at the Hotel Regent from 09.30; in Palermo, outside the regional health department from 10.30; and in Milan, where SMI is joining a rally organised by the Free Association of General Medicine (Lamg) in Piazza Duca d'Aosta from 10.00 until midday. A further rally is also planned in Rieti.
The union's national leadership has appealed to all GPs, whether or not they are SMI members, to join what it describes as a unified defence of the profession. SMI secretary general Pina Onotri also highlighted a parliamentary petition on reforming general practice that has gathered more than 32,00 signatures and has now been assigned to the Chamber of Deputies' social affairs committee.
Not all doctors' organisations are behind the action, however. Fimmg Tuscany, a branch of the largest family doctors' union, has said it will not join the strike, arguing it does not share an approach that "calls into question tools such as the single role and the presence of general practice in the Case della Comunità". Its regional secretary, Niccolò Biancalani, said the priority should instead be addressing GPs' mounting workloads.
What patients can expect
Despite the strike, SMI has confirmed that essential services will continue to be guaranteed throughout the two days, including urgent home visits, integrated home care and scheduled home care for terminally ill patients, along with any other services classified as indispensable under regional agreements.
Patients requiring non-urgent appointments, however, may face delays or rescheduling.
Photo credit: Alberto Fornasari / Shutterstock.com
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Italy's family doctors are staging a two-day strike on Tuesday 15 and Wednesday 16 September, in a protest called by the Italian Doctors' Union (Sindacato Medici Italiani, SMI) against a partial agreement on Case della Comunità, the community health centres at the heart of Italy's post-pandemic primary care reform.
The mobilisation targets the deal reached last June, which SMI says would impose fixed working hours on GPs staffing the centres and introduce a "single role" (ruolo unico) for general practitioners, effectively binding them more closely to salaried employment terms rather than their traditional status as self-employed contractors with the national health service.
In place of these measures, the union is calling for a "double channel" allowing doctors to opt into employee status voluntarily, the launch of a university specialisation school in general medicine, the reinstatement of a separate area for "medicina dei servizi", more staff for emergency response service 118, and stronger protections for GPs covering injury and maternity leave.
SMI has organised demonstrations and assemblies in several cities on 15 September: in Rome, outside the union's headquarters from 10.00 to 13.00; in Naples, outside RAI's local offices from 11.30; in Pescara, at the Hotel Regent from 09.30; in Palermo, outside the regional health department from 10.30; and in Milan, where SMI is joining a rally organised by the Free Association of General Medicine (Lamg) in Piazza Duca d'Aosta from 10.00 until midday. A further rally is also planned in Rieti.
The union's national leadership has appealed to all GPs, whether or not they are SMI members, to join what it describes as a unified defence of the profession. SMI secretary general Pina Onotri also highlighted a parliamentary petition on reforming general practice that has gathered more than 32,00 signatures and has now been assigned to the Chamber of Deputies' social affairs committee.
Not all doctors' organisations are behind the action, however. Fimmg Tuscany, a branch of the largest family doctors' union, has said it will not join the strike, arguing it does not share an approach that "calls into question tools such as the single role and the presence of general practice in the Case della Comunità". Its regional secretary, Niccolò Biancalani, said the priority should instead be addressing GPs' mounting workloads.
Despite the strike, SMI has confirmed that essential services will continue to be guaranteed throughout the two days, including urgent home visits, integrated home care and scheduled home care for terminally ill patients, along with any other services classified as indispensable under regional agreements.
Patients requiring non-urgent appointments, however, may face delays or rescheduling.
Photo credit: Alberto Fornasari / Shutterstock.com
