Workers will be able to take time off for mammography, pap tests or colonoscopy, without losing pay or taking holidays. Incentives also for companies that promote health and the new role of the company doctor
Paid time off to do cancer screenings during working hours. With the legislative decree (159/2025) published in the Official Journal, the protection of workers’ health changes. In practice, employees will be able to take time off work to undergo free cancer screenings organized by the National Health Service, without losing pay and without having to use holidays or personal leave.
Oncology screenings during working hours: green light for paid time off
The measure marks a paradigm shift in the protection of workers’ health: the possibility of carrying out oncological screenings during working hours, taking advantage of paid time off. What is new is the explicit recognition of prevention as a right of citizenship and work, which must be able to be exercised without economic or organizational obstacles. Not a benefit granted, but a right. The paid leaves concern the three main oncological screening programs guaranteed by the National Health Service: Breast cancer, for women aged between 50 and 69, via mammography; Cervical cancer, aimed at women between 25 and 64 years old, through Pap test or HPV test; Colorectal cancer, for men and women aged between 50 and 74, through testing for occult blood in the stool or colonoscopy. Recent years indicate that participation in screening programs in Italy is still too low. According to estimates from the Ministry of Health, less than two out of three people participate in the recommended screenings. Often, the main obstacle is the difficulty of reconciling work time with the time needed to carry out medical visits. This is where the decree comes in: reducing obstacles to prevention.
How paid time off for cancer screenings works
The law establishes that, within the framework of collective bargaining, specific clauses may be inserted that allow employees to take advantage of paid leave to carry out cancer screenings, without any reduction in salary. National and company collective agreements may detail the request methods, times and procedures, integrating the measure into company welfare policies. From an operational point of view, the employee will simply have to communicate the date of the appointment to the employer, attaching the invitation or certificate issued by the screening center. The absence will be paid as a normal working day, and will not lead to penalties for contributions, severance pay or other contractual institutions.
The new role of the company doctor and incentives for businesses
The decree significantly strengthens the functions of the company’s competent doctor. No longer just guarantor of health surveillance, but will have the task of informing and raising awareness among employees about screening programs, encouraging their participation and integrating these activities into company health promotion plans. Furthermore, the decree expands its powers regarding controls on the consumption of alcohol and narcotic substances, providing for the possibility of arranging verification visits in the presence of well-founded suspicion, especially in sectors with a high risk of accidents. The decree also provides incentives for companies that choose to actively promote the health of their employees. Companies that activate health promotion programs, going beyond simple mandatory surveillance, will be able to access discounts on Inail insurance premiums, reducing costs and improving the organizational climate. For micro-enterprises, often without internal resources for the management of health surveillance, there are agreements with the NHS and support tools.
