Common Ground on Prevention

An informal strolling dinner on the sidelines of the 4th Plenary Assembly of the Multi-Stakeholder Partnership Meeting

Prevention has broad political support and weak financial protection. Governments endorse it in declarations and strategies, yet prevention budgets are often the first to be reduced when health spending is under pressure. Across OECD countries, prevention accounted for 3% of total health spending in 2023. The share rose to around 6% during the COVID‑19 pandemic, then fell back to its earlier level (OECD, Health at a Glance 2025). The current discussions on sustainable health financing and reform of the global health architecture create an opening to change how prevention is valued and funded. Italy carries one of the heaviest AMR burdens in Europe. ECDC estimates that around 35,000 people die each year in the EU/EEA from antimicrobial-resistant infections, around 12,000 of them in Italy. Italy's National Plan to Combat Antimicrobial Resistance (PNCAR) 2022 to 2025 provides EUR 40 million a year to the regions and has been extended to December 2026 while the next plan is prepared.