Healthcare today represents one of the principal testing grounds for advanced democracies. Population aging, the rise in chronic diseases, shortages of healthcare personnel, and escalating costs are placing Western welfare systems under growing pressure. In this complex landscape, Italy has chosen to confront the challenge not merely through emergency measures, but by launching a path of structural reform that places the individual, the quality of care, and the humanization of medicine at the center.
A clear political signal came with the approval, at the beginning of 2026, of the enabling law for the reform of the National Health Service. The measure introduces national standards for community-based and home care, for the management of chronic conditions and frailty, strengthening social-health integration and reaffirming the principles of bioethics. The goal is to move beyond a fragmented vision of healthcare and build a system that is truly person-centered, also in view of the adoption of implementing decrees by the end of 2026.
This direction fits within a coherent and comprehensive regulatory framework. Decree-Law No. 73 of 2024 addressed the issue of waiting lists in a structural way, introducing governance tools, monitoring systems, and technological innovation. Legislative Decree No. 29 of 2024 placed policies for frailty and active aging at the heart of public action. In continuity with this path stands the regulation of the Minister of Health, to be adopted pursuant to Article 1, paragraphs 360, 361, 362, and 363, of Law No. 207 of December 30, 2024, aimed at defining organizational and quality criteria for the humanization of care and for hospital organizational models. These are not isolated interventions, but pieces of an overall strategy.
Within this process, the work of the Parliamentary Intergroup on Healthcare and Recovery, chaired by Hon. Simona Loizzo, plays a significant role, helping to guide institutional dialogue toward more sustainable, accessible healthcare models aligned with the real needs of citizens. The challenge is not limited to the allocation of resources, but extends to the capacity to reorganize the system, enhance the value of healthcare professionals, and govern innovation without losing the human dimension of care.
On this foundation rests the institutional mission to the United States promoted by the Intergroup on Healthcare and Recovery and the Parliamentary Intergroup “Progetto Italia,” chaired by Hon. Erica Mazzetti. This initiative goes beyond an exploratory or commercial dimension and takes shape as a true act of institutional and healthcare diplomacy, aimed at positioning Italy as a credible political interlocutor in the international dialogue on care models, healthcare innovation, and health infrastructure.
Engagement with the United States – where investment, digital health, research, and major technological platforms are concentrated – represents a strategic step in enhancing the Italian experience of a public health service, community-based healthcare, and the comprehensive management of frailty. As Tino Ruta, CEO of Knights Care USA, observed, “Italy can play a leadership role in the international dialogue on healthcare precisely because it combines innovation with a culture of care. The humanization of care is not an accessory element, but a strategic choice that strengthens healthcare systems.”
Further strengthening this path is the attention of the Holy See, long committed to promoting a vision of healthcare grounded in the dignity of the person, solidarity, and equitable access to care. In this context stands the role of Monsignor Hilary Franco, Counselor of the Permanent Mission of the Holy See to the United Nations, a leading figure in multilateral dialogue in the social and healthcare fields. His activity in the United States represents an authoritative reference point in promoting care models capable of combining innovation, institutional responsibility, and attention to frailty, in coherence with the Church’s social teaching.
The sensitivity demonstrated by Monsignor Franco on healthcare and humanitarian issues confirms that healthcare cannot be reduced to a merely technical or organizational matter, but must be considered a central dimension of the civic and ethical witness of institutions. Within this framework, Knights Care emerges as a reference model capable of integrating healthcare delivery, innovation, and a culture of care, placing humanization as a structural element of healthcare systems rather than a simple complement.
Healthcare, therefore, is not merely a sectoral policy, but a true institutional infrastructure of the country. If reforms, parliamentary work, international initiatives, and dialogue with global ethical actors such as the Holy See proceed in a coordinated manner, Italy will be able not only to strengthen its National Health Service, but also to present itself as a European leader of a new culture of care – one capable of combining sustainability, innovation, and the centrality of the person.
