The new law, which recognizes obesity as a disease, obtained the vote of 155 parliamentarians, while 103 abstained, and none voted against it, according to a report published today on the website of the specialized publication Sanitá 33.
The text, which has six articles, will pass to the Senate where a positive result is also expected, after which this will be the only country in the world to have a legal norm of this type.
It includes the services related to the so-called Essential Levels of Assistance (LEA), in charge of the National Health Service, and has an integral approach, articulated in prevention, treatment and social awareness, the media adds.
This law provides for the financing of a national program for the prevention and treatment of obesity, with a budget of 700,000 euros by 2025, 800,000 by 2026 and 1.2 million euros per year from 2027 onwards.
It also provides for training and updating on obesity and overweight for university students, general practitioners, pediatricians and National Health Service personnel, with funds amounting to 400 thousand euros per year. An Observatory will be set up for the study of this problem and the dissemination of healthy lifestyles for the Italian population.
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