Despite the already existing efficiencies in the Italian healthcare system, there is still significant room for improvement. Johnson & Johnson Medical's head for southern Europe discusses a number of opportunities where the company can help to improve healthcare quality while reducing costs holistically. Given Italy’s current healthcare sustainability concerns, what is your outlook on the growth potential for the innovative medical device industry, and what should be the industry’s priorities? It is a critical moment for the healthcare sector in Europe as a whole, as healthcare expenditures, which have been under pressure for more than a decade, have been significantly limited since 2008 crisis. Government interventions in spending have been more substantial in southern Europe compared to the north, and apart from Greece, Italy is actually the only country where the healthcare expenditure has decreased in absolute terms, not just as a percentage of GDP. These constraints have resulted in imposed price reductions, less emphasis being placed on quality, restrictions to top quality products in many cases, and sometimes even reductions in patient access. Italy is among multiple European countries where patients have to wait up to a year for elective and non-urgent procedures such as hernia surgery.

It is a critical moment for the healthcare sector in Europe as a whole