Wang Yang, the Secretary General of the Communist Party of the Guangdong Province, visited Italy: “We have a lot to learn from the European experience and from the NIHMP”
A delegation of 27 people guided by Wang Yang, the Secretary General of the Communist Party of the Guangdong Province, and composed of representatives of the political world, the public administration and the press visited the NIHMP for its commitment in the provision of social and health care services.
The delegation will be in Rome for only two days, and notwithstanding the many engagements, also providing a meeting with the Italian Prime Minister and the Minister of Foreign Affairs, they did not want to miss a visit to the NIHMP and to meet its Chief Executive Officer, Dr. Concetta Mirisola.
Dr. Mirisola showed the delegation the social and health care services of the Institute and explained the history of the ancient San Gallicano Hospital, pointing out the fidelity to its mission since 1725 in the assistance of Italian and foreign people at risk of social exclusion.
The members of the delegation appeared very interested about the many services of the Institute, and Dr. Mirisola was extremely pleased to provide further information.
The visit was organised following the wish of the Secretary General to collect information and observe the NIHMP work, a showcase in Italy and in Europe, in order to plan a similar model in the Chinese Guangdong Province. The uniqueness of the NIHMP experience was also outlined by the Undersecretary of State for Labour and Social Affairs, Hon. Nello Musumeci, who outlined the deep interest of both Italy and China in the establishment of not only economic but also social agreements, with particular concern on the assistance of disabled people, a growing demographic phenomenon in the two countries.
Dr. Gianfranco Costanzo, Head of Unit Relations with National and International Institutions and Organisations at the NIHMP, was proud to explain the work of the Institute, where scientific research, training and health education are aimed at supporting the medical activity putting people at the centre by using a holistic approach. Since its foundation in 2008, 33,000 foreigners and 6,000 Italian people were assisted and more than 100,000 examinations on foreign people and 10,000 on Italians were performed.
Wang Yang thanked Dr. Mirisola and the managing staff for the useful information provided. “The work of this Institute should be respected, said Hon. Yang, since it is mostly addressed to foreigners rather than to Italian citizens. Also in our region, which is experiencing remarkable economic development, we suffer from the difficulties lived by migrants, who experience deep economical and social inequalities. They are more than 20 million people who leave their homes for work reasons and mostly come from other Chinese regions and from Africa. We also have specific services for migrants - adds Wang Yang – but they are not as effective as yours, since many people tend not to use those services”.
We have a lot to learn from Europe and from the NIHMP experience, but I am relieved to know that you achieved those results after a long experience. We have to begin, and we wish that this meeting could represent our first step.
Guangdong is a province on the South China sea coast often referred to as the “Cantonese province”, since Canton is its capital and the third most important and densely populated city, counting about 10,700,000 inhabitants. It is a dynamic metropolis in a region of 80 million population that is experiencing rapid growth due to the economic reforms and to the closeness to the financial and trade centre of Hong Kong.
According to recent data, about 25 million migrants coming from other districts live there for at least six months in a year.
Difficulties related to migration are similar worldwide, and the visit of Wang Yang at the National Institute for Health, Migration and Poverty (NIHMP) aims at sharing experiences with a centre providing social and health care services to disadvantaged population groups.
Wang Yang, Secretary of the Chinese Communist Party of the Guangdong Province, is one of the most important regional leaders and member of the Politburo Standing Committee of the Communist Party, which is the highest leading organ of the country. He is a well-known reformer who contributed to the economic and entrepreneurial growth of Guangdong.
The delegation guided by the Secretary of the Chinese Communist Party was received at the NIHMP by the Undersecretary of State for Labour and Social Affairs, Hon. Nello Musumeci, the Head of the Technical Secretariat of the Minister for Labour and Social Affairs, Mr. Lorenzo Malagola, and the NIHMP Chief Executive Officer, Dr. Concetta Mirisola. She and her staff will present the history of the Institute and the main social and health care services including reception and dedicated services for victims of torture, homeless people, etc. The programme also provided a short visit of the Institute and a meeting with workers and journalists.
