[The emigration of Italian patients to countries of the European Economic Community. Review of data published by the Ministry of Health].

In the present issue, the report "L'assistenza sanitaria all'estero-rapporti economici nei confronti dei Paesi CEE" by the Italian Health Ministry has been examined. The frequency and the cost of the health migration among Italy and other countries of the European Community during 1990-1993 has been presented. The migration of foreign patients to Italy was in agreement with tourism. About 35-40% of the Italian patients cured in the European Community were tourists. The others were patients migrated to obtain specialised treatments not available in Italy. The most frequent causes of migration were cancer, emathological diseases and radiotherapy, followed by transplants, neurological, cardiovascular and orthopaedic diseases. France was the most frequent destination. The overall cost of Italian health migration was 229 Pounds miliard in 1990, 300 Pounds miliard in 1991, and 264 and 216 Pounds miliard in 1992-1993. In the period analysed in the ministerial report, migration seemed to reduce. Migration however was still important especially from the South of Italy. The effect of the new regulations on the decreasing trend in migration was analysed.