A caregiver cannot be treated as a simple visitor. Their presence is necessary to allow a person with a disability to access medical care. This is the principle behind Recommendation No. 3 of 29 May 2026, issued by Italy's National Authority for the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and approved in recent days.
The Authority is an independent body established in 2024 to promote the full realization of the rights of persons with disabilities and to safeguard their interests. It addressed the document to the Ministry of Health, the State-Regions Conference, the Regions, the autonomous Provinces, and public and private healthcare facilities.
The goal is to encourage uniform, clear, and non-discriminatory criteria for the presence of a caregiver during hospital stays and access to healthcare services. According to the Authority, in some cases the presence of a caregiver is still limited or denied. This happens because of internal regulations, informal interpretations, or because the caregiver is treated the same as an ordinary visitor.
The Recommendation states that a caregiver can represent a reasonable accommodation. This applies when their presence is necessary to meet the care, communication, cognitive, behavioral, or relational needs of the person with a disability.
«In these cases, the caregiver is not a visitor. They are a support figure who can make it truly possible to access care, communicate with healthcare staff, understand the person's needs, and ensure continuity of the care pathway», the Authority's Board points out. «Denying their presence, when it is necessary and no adequate alternative measures are in place, can restrict the right to health and amount to a form of indirect discrimination».
The Recommendation also clarifies that the need for a caregiver is not limited to situations of physical or medical dependency. Their presence can also be essential when a person with a disability faces significant challenges in the cognitive, communicative, relational, emotional, or behavioral sphere. The assessment must therefore be based on the person's actual needs within the specific healthcare setting.
One section of the document is dedicated to the European Disability Card. The Authority recommends that healthcare facilities recognize the Disability Card marked «A», which certifies the need for an companion, as sufficient proof of the need for a caregiver's presence. This would avoid repeated requests for documentation and inconsistent assessments.
The Recommendation further calls for ensuring the continuous presence of the caregiver during hospital stays, emergency room visits, complex outpatient procedures, and invasive diagnostic tests. Any restrictions may only be applied for specific medical or organizational reasons, provided they are temporary, proportionate, and duly justified.
At the heart of the measure is the recognition of the role played by caregivers in supporting people with disabilities. This is part of a broader effort to give greater recognition to the caregiver, increasingly seen as a key support figure for the autonomy, wellbeing, and protection of the rights of persons with disabilities.