Typically demand outstrips supply for very simple exams but the private sector covers it pretty well without making you pay a lot more. For example, here in It

Typically demand outstrips supply for very simple exams but the private sector covers it pretty well without making you pay a lot more. For example, here in Italy I can look for: public sector, private public-affiliated sector and full private sector. When I needed a full low abdomen echography I first contacted the public sector, they told me they had a wait list of 2.5months for that common exam, but I could call a private public-affiliated clinic and do it there (they also gave me suggestions on which clinics were available). Cost ~23euros (not all the exams have this waiting time, when I needed just physiotherapy or to see a psychologist I had <7 days wait time) Called three private public-affiliated clinics. These are clinics where all the staff is private and is managed like a normal company, but if they do an exam and you have the paper from your GP they can fill a form and get a part payed from the public sector (in a sort of exchange for helping reducing the wait time) In all of three they could visit me in 2-4 days, paying just ~30e. Lastly there was the full private clinic, those are not subsidized in any way but they have a very short list and if you want you can make a private insurance that cover basically whatever exams you will ever need from them. They could visit me in the next 2 hours for just ~80e. Note I was not in a emergency, if that was the case I could just run to the hospital and they would visit me instantly without making me pay anything (you can also run to the hospital without an ongoing emergency... they usually don't make you pay nothing anyway and do the exams but make you wait hours until they have no more urgent cases). Note also that if you have a serious condition (cancer like or anything with high risk of fatality) you will get ahead of any list and be visited asap, no money asked. And Italy is considered one of those "long list countries" in EUW.