I think this has become something of a lazy statement, considering the reputation of the country and seeing statistics from the outbreak. The Italian healthcare system is consistently ranked one of the highest in the world, especially in the Lombardy region.
As someone who lives in the UK I can say that yes the NHS is fantastic and the staff do a great job, but they are under massive pressure and stress in terms of space, money and staffing even at the best of times. When this hits its peak in the UK it is a massive cause for concern.