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Italy’s MS Patients Struggle with Fragmented Care and High Costs as Advocates Demand Integrated Agenda

Recent Aism and Fism data expose critical shortfalls in rehabilitation and psychological support leaving over 14,000 patients without coordinated care

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Overview

  • Approximately 144,000 people in Italy live with multiple sclerosis and the ‘Hard to Reach’ project found over 14,000 lack contact with clinical centers or multidisciplinary assistance
  • The average annual social cost of MS is €46,400 per patient and rises above €63,000 in severe cases while families of the most critical patients pay up to €14,000 out-of-pocket
  • Seventy-eight percent of MS patients report at least one unmet need, with psychological support, home care and rehabilitation services most frequently lacking
  • Patients in southern regions such as Calabria, Sicily, Puglia and Sardinia face the widest gaps in care, with over 60% deprived of adequate rehabilitation and psychological services
  • Aism and Fism are calling for a structured, proactive healthcare network and a public consultation to shape a comprehensive MS agenda by 2030