In Italy, the cancer patient has the right to total exemption for pathology from the payment of the co-payment for drugs, visits and tests necessary for the treatment of the tumor and any complications, for rehabilitation and for the prevention of further aggravations (Ministerial Decree Health 28.5.1999n. 329).
To obtain that healthcare services are placed entirely at the expense of the NHS, the patient must request exemption from the contribution from the local ASL, attaching medical, specialist or hospital documentation certifying the illness. Consequently, the ASL will issue a personal card with the indication of the code. 048 (subjects suffering from malignant neoplastic pathologies and tumors of uncertain behavior) presenting which the patient will be able to take advantage of the appropriate health services free of charge for the monitoring of the pathologies from which he is affected and their complications, for the rehabilitation and for the prevention of further aggravations. The exemption is obviously valid for medicines and health services provided by the NHS in public or affiliated facilities.
