Girolamo Sirchia
Girolamo Sirchia (born 14 September 1933) is an Italian doctor and former politician. He was born in Milan and studied medicine at the University of Milan, specializing in internal medicine and immuno-hematology. He is married and has two daughters.
Sirchia served as Italy’s Minister of Health from June 11, 2001, to April 23, 2005, under Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi. He is best known for introducing the ban on smoking in all indoor public places, known as the Sirchia law.
After his term as minister, he faced legal troubles. On February 2, 2005, he was investigated for corruption related to events after 2000. On April 17, 2008, he was sentenced in the first instance to three years in prison for bribes in the health sector, with a five-year ban from public offices. The case involved Haemonetics Italia.
On March 3, 2010, the appeal ruling confirmed embezzlement of about 300,000 Swiss francs from the Il Sangue foundation, where he was treasurer, but acquitted him of corruption. A separate charge about $10,000 from Kawasumi in December 2000 was deemed prescribed. The penalty was reduced to five months in prison and a €600 fine, and the ban on public offices was lifted by the Court of Appeal.
This page was last edited on 2 February 2026, at 06:15 (CET).