<%@LANGUAGE="VBSCRIPT" CODEPAGE="1252"%> Civic Network of South Tyrol

Welcome to South Tyrol

Health and social welfare

The autonomous Province of Bozen has, according to the Autonomy Statute, primary powers in regard to public welfare, but "only" secondary powers in regard to hygiene and health. In both sectors the legislative and administrative arrangements are a model at least for Italy. The new distribution of the authorities between the state and the regions, which is laid down in the constitutional law n°3/2001 hasn't got any influence to the provincial competencies in this field, because sectors like social or public health welfare belong to the exclusive competencies of the state or they are in the list of the concurring state - regional competencies.

Health:
In South Tyrol the Provincial welfare service is often taken as a model by other countries and it stands out for its modern structures, its highly qualified staff and technical equipment. The public hospitals of South Tyrol have been built from the funds of the province, and they are appreciated not only in Italy but also abroad. Every year hundreds of billion lire are invested in public health. The aim of the Provincial welfare service is the guarantee of the highest quality and efficacy of its structures and the guarantee of the equal rights of all patients.

Public health care is exercised through a general welfare service (general practitioners, paediatricians, advice centres, home care, etc.), through specialist care in public institutions, as well as through hospital care organised by four health boards, SE Centre-South (Bozen), SE West (Meran), SE north (Brixen) and SE East (Bruneck). In order to make the general service and the specialist care more efficient and closer to the citizen, South Tyrol was divided into 20 precincts. Each precinct has its own head office. Hospital care is provided in public hospitals, private clinics which have signed a contract with a health board and private clinics which have not signed such a contract.

The eight hospitals, Bozen, Meran, L.Böhler-Meran, Schlanders, Brixen, Sterzing, Bruneck and Innichen) contain a total of 2,300 beds. Beds in the seven private clinics and three nursing homes total 480. The average length of stay in public hospitals is 6.8 days. The bed-occupancy rate in public institutions is 69.4 per cent. In 1999, public and private hospitals treated 99,300 patients. In addition, in the same year more than 3,000 residents of South Tyrol were treated in hospitals in Austria, most of them in the University Clinic in Innsbruck (1,487 South Tyrolese patients).
In 2000, the Province provided directly 1,588 billion lire in current and capital expenditure for the operation of the health service. During the last five years the sanitary structures have been developed and improved. The foundation of the provincial college for health professions "Claudiana" in Bozen, where the students complete their studies with an university diploma, has been a very important step towards an efficient training of the sanitary staff.

The most important legislative instrument for the further development of health care in South Tyrol is the Provincial health plan. Following the European trend the Provincial health plan contains a list of regulations of a strategic nature, which aims to provide a steady improvement in the health system taking into account available resources. The Provincial health plan, in line with the State health plan and the aims of the World Health Organisation (WHO) emphasis the development of the health protection of the citizen as a fundamental right of the individual and an interest of the community in accordance with human dignity and freedom. Within the aims of that health policy the Plan highlights the following priorities: the fight against tumour-based diseases, the causes of death as a result of violence, and infectious diseases. Regarded as priorities are protecting the health of the elderly, protection of mental health, the campaign against drugs and the misuse of medicine, and against heart and circulatory diseases.
In July 1999 the Provincial health plan for 2000-2002 has been approved by the provincial government. The main emphasis of this plan is - apart from the prevention - the rehabilitation.

service for public assistenceSocial welfare:
At the end of April 1999 the draft of the social plan 1998-2001 has been approved by the Provincial government. This draft contains - apart from the directive lines for the social work- a number of concrete measures. One of its main aims is the creation of the so-called "integrated social and health districts", in order to get a closer collaboration between the two sectors.

With the reorganisation of the social services the powers relating to their management were transferred to the eight districts. Only a few social facilities are still directly managed by the Provincial administration. Pensions and accompanying benefits for 9,870 blind, deaf-and-dumb and civilian invalids and payments for supplementary care are directly paid out by the Provincial administration. The Department of Social Affairs with its four offices has now received more co-ordination, planning, financing and control functions. In the same way it deals with the further training of social services staff. It is the responsibility of the districts to manage all services for all citizens and for all problem areas. With the reorganisation of the social services a single organic service network was set up. The central plank is the division into precincts (congruent with those in the health service). In each precinct there are four different services of which all citizens can take advantage: general social welfare, public assistance, child welfare and home care service. In 1999 the Province has spent 343 billion lire for the sector of social welfare.

Payments related to the minimum income and other financial payments are administered by the service for public assistance. Beneficiaries are those whose income does not reach the minimum ore are in special need. Apart from the home care service, the general social welfare services help young persons. In addition, extensive measures for the care of the physically and mentally handicapped (23 workshops for the handicapped and 483 persons being looked after, 21 residential homes with 206 inmates) are guaranteed by the districts, too.

In South Tyrol there are 72,000 persons older than 65 (=15 per cent of the population). The care of the elderly is also supported by the Province. The beneficiaries of the various services for the elderly are more than 23,000 persons (in the 63 old peoples' homes and nursing homes, in day centres and in 43 clubs for the elderly). In South Tyrol there is sheltered accommodation for 442. Two institutions, the Provincial Home for small children and the Care Hostel, are managed by the Province.