Assistenza primaria e Covid-19: MMG e USCA

The general practitioner (GP) performs some systemic functions essential for the functioning of the National Health Service (NHS) and, therefore, for the effective implementation of the protection of health guaranteed by art. 32 of the Constitution, as a fundamental right of the individual and collective interest. In the first paragraph we briefly illustrate the characteristics of the GP's professional profile, shared at a European level and in harmony with the policies promoted by the World Health Organization. In the second we outline the salient elements of Italian national policies. In the third we present the data of our analysis relating to the trend in the number of GPs in recent decades in a comparative European and subnational perspective. In the last paragraph we discuss the structural conditions of GPs in the face of the pandemic and the recent policy measures (creation of the USCA).