HEALTH
STP (Straniero Temporaneamente Presente - Temporarily Present Foreigner)
If you do not have regular residence papers, you are entitled to urgent and essential care, in hospitals and ASSL facilities, even in the case of long-term care (illness and injury).
You need a regional STP code (Straniero Temporaneamente Presente - Temporarily Present Foreigner) to receive treatment.
With the STP code you will be able to access examinations, medical prescriptions, and medicines.
If you are an asylum seeker, and you have not submitted your C3 form yet and have no Codice fiscal (tax code), you will need to be assisted with an STP code while waiting for mandatory registration with the SSN.
Where do you apply for it?
In hospitals and public outpatient clinics at the time of the first health care, in the Outpatient Clinics for Temporarily Present Foreigners or at the “Scelta e revoca del medico” office (Choice and revocation of doctor) at your local healthcare reference area (ASSL).
What you need: you do not need to show any documents, you will only declare your personal details and fill in a “Dichiarazione di indigenza” (declaration of destitution), which must be renewed every six months and entitles you not to pay for treatment (exemption X01).
Duration: 6 months. It can be renewed if you still do not have any documents. It is valid throughout Italian territory. If, on the other hand, you get a residency permit, registration with the SSN is mandatory.
FREE CLINIC / FAMILY COUNSELLING CENTRE
For urgent and free medical advice, you can contact a family counselling centre (Consultorio). You can remain anonymous if you want.
The family counselling centre is a public service that offers free medical, social, and psychological counselling and assistance. Its services are also provided to foreigners without residence permits, with a specific focus on women’s, children’s, and adolescents’ health.
You can contact them for:
> Pregnancy and termination of pregnancy (IVG)
> Gynaecological examinations and contraception
> Problems related to the social and psychophysical wellbeing of minors and adolescents
> Cancer prevention
In the counselling centres you can find a gynaecologist, a social worker, a paediatrician, a nurse, and a psychologist who can help you with personal or family problems.
Find the counselling centres in Sardinia:
http://www.salute.gov.it/portale/donna/dettaglioConsultoriDonna.jsp?lingua=italiano&idR=200&area=Salute%20donna&menu=vuoto (in Italian)
EMERGENCY
Guardia Medica - Emergency Medical Service (out of hours service doctors): from 8 p.m. to 8 a.m., or on public holidays and on the day before any public holidays. The town where you live has a Guardia Medica, usually located near the emergency room.
Look for Emergency Medical Service in Sardinia:
https://www.sardegnasalute.it/index.php?sl=316&v=9&s=9&c=2946&n=10&na=1&qr=1&p=1&f=10 (in Italian)
Pronto Soccorso - Emergency Room: if you need urgent treatment, go to the emergency room of the nearest hospital. You can apply for an STP code there. For further information visithttps://www.sardegnasalute.it/emergenze/prontosoccorso.html
(in Italian)
Emergency call number 118 - Ambulance: for serious emergencies preventing you from reaching the emergency room on your own, call the free 24-hour number 118 to request an ambulance. You will be reached where you are and, if necessary, taken to hospital.
WHAT TO DO FOR:
Getting an appointment for a medical examination: go to your general practitioner/paediatrician, ask for a prescription, book the examination through the CUP (Centro Unico di Prenotazione - Central Reservation Centre) or directly call the centre where you want to have the examination. For further information visit the CUP website https://cupweb.sardegnasalute.it/ (in Italian)
Buying medicines: some medicines can be over-the-counter, others require a prescription. If you need a prescription, you will need to ask your general practitioner /paediatrician for it and hand it in at the pharmacy.
Mandatory vaccinations: free mandatory vaccinations for Italian and foreign minors aged 0-16 are necessary for enrolling in kindergartens and schools. Find vaccination clinics in Sardinia:https://www.vaccinarsinsardegna.org/it/info-utili/ambulatori-vaccinali (in Italian)
For further information on these and other vaccinations, ask your GP or paediatrician and show them your vaccination record if you have one.
