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Facts & Stories
Thirteen university students who reside in the Washington, D.C., metropolitan area have received National Italian American Foundation (NIAF) Scholarships. The students from Maryland are: Anthony Bagileo of Laurel; John Bruno of Bethesda; Daniel Evans of Germantown;Anthony Fiora of Westminser; Maria LaVerghetta of Columbia; Zoe Ottaviani of Silver Spring; Jamie Restivo of Baltimore; and Carlo St. Regis of Gaithersburg.Students from Virginia include: Benjamin Gaiarin of Alexandria; Amy Grudier of Falls Church; Christina Iovino of McLean; and Francesca Orfila of Alexandria. One student from the nation’s capital is Robert Tramonte.Since NIAF’s inception 40 years ago, the scholarship program has grown from four scholarships of $250 each to dozens of annual scholarships ranging in value from $2,000 to $12,000, each in the Italian language and culture, medicine, engineering, business, law, music, and other specialized fields. Last year, the average scholarship to students in the United States was worth more than $6,000."Since 1975, NIAF has awarded millions of dollars in merit-based scholarships and cultural grants to undergraduate, graduate, post graduate, medical and law students from across the country. NIAF values the importance of education and the role it plays in helping deserving Italian American students build promising futures,” said Anita Bevacqua McBride, co-chair of the Foundation’s Education and Grants Committee.Scholarship applicants must be a NIAF member or have a parent or guardian who is a member of the Foundation. Applicants must be enrolled in or entering an accredited college or university in the United States in the fall of 2016. Students must be of Italian descent, with at least one ancestor who has emigrated from Italy. Additionally, applicants must be U.S. citizens or permanent resident aliens. NIAF scholarship recipients are selected based on academic merit and have an average GPA of 3.5 out of 4.0 to apply.Contributors to the NIAF scholarship program include individuals, corporations and organizations throughout the United States and Italy.
Apply online for a 2016-2017 NIAF scholarship at www.niaf.org/scholarships. Application deadline is March 1, 2016. NIAF scholarship winners will be notified May 2, 2016.For more information on establishing a NIAF scholarship, contact NIAF Director of Programs Gabriella Mileti at gmileti@niaf.org.The National Italian American Foundation (NIAF) is a non-profit organization based in Washington, D.C., and dedicated to preserving the heritage of Italian Americans. Visit www.niaf.org
NIAF SCHOLARSHIPS TO STUDENTS FROM WASHINGTON, D.C. METRO AREAMaryland:
· Anthony Bagileo of Laurel, Md., has received the NIAF Lido Civic Club Matching Scholarship. Bagileo attends Catholic University of America and is pursuing a degree in sociology and criminal justice.
· John Bruno of Bethesda, Md., has received the NIAF Lido Civic Club Matching Scholarship. Bruno attends Washington College and is pursuing a degree in history.
· Daniel Evans of Germantown, Md., has received the NIAF Lido Civic Club Matching Scholarship. Evans attends Lycoming College and is pursuing a degree in criminal justice with a minor in business.
Anthony Fiora of Westminser, Md., has received the NIAF Lido Civic Club Matching Scholarship. Fiora attends the University of Maryland College Park and is pursuing a degree in criminology and criminal justice.
· Maria LaVerghetta of Columbia, Md., has received the NIAF Abruzzo Molise Heritage Society Matching Scholarship. LaVerghetta attends the University of Perugia for Foreigners and is pursuing a master’s degree in Italian Education.
· Zoe Ottaviani of Silver Spring, Md., has received the NIAF Lido Civic Club Matching Scholarship. Ottaviani attends Washington and Lee University and is pursuing a degree in accounting and business.
· Jamie Restivo of Baltimore, Md., has received the Filomena J. Peloro. Restivo attends Towson University and is pursuing a master’s degree in physician assistant studies.
· Carlo St. Regis of Gaithersburg, Md., has received the NIAF Lido Civic Club Matching Scholarship. St. Regis attends the University of Maryland at College Park and is pursuing a degree in mechanical engineering.
Virginia:
· Benjamin Gaiarin of Alexandria, Va., has received the NIAF Jim Cantalupo Scholarship. Gaiarin attends Stanford University.
· Amy Grudier of Falls Church, Va., has received the NIAF Lido Civic Club Matching Scholarship. Grudier attends Cedarville University and is pursuing a degree in nursing.
· Christina Iovino of McLean, Va.., has received the NIAF Abruzzo Molise Heritage Society Matching Scholarship. Iovino attends the University of Virginia and is pursuing a degree in foreign affairs and Italian.
· Francesca Orfila of Alexandria, Va., has received the NIAF Lido Civic Club Matching Scholarship. Orfila attends The College of William and Mary and is pursuing a degree in anthropology and classical archaelogy.
District of Columbia:
· Robert Tramonte of Washington, D.C., has received the NIAF Lido Civic Club Matching Scholarship. Tramonte attends The Catholic University of America and is pursuing a bachelor of science in accounting.
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Fatti e Storie
New York, 11 gennaio 2016 – Ha preso il via a New York la prima delle due tappe statunitensi del Global Roadshow “Invest in Italy”, dopo quelle organizzate in Turchia (ottobre 2015) e Giappone (novembre 2015) dall’ICE-Agenzia per la promozione all’estero e l’internazionalizzazione delle imprese italiane su impulso del Ministero dello Sviluppo Economico.
Nel corso della tappa newyorkese, il Vice Ministro Carlo Calenda, il Presidente di Cassa Depositi e Prestiti Caludio Costamagna e il Presidente dell’Agenzia ICE Riccardo Monti hanno incontrato circa 30 potenziali investitori tra fondi d’investimento e investitori privati.
Particolare rilevanza ha avuto il workshop, realizzato in collaborazione con Bloomberg, “Italy Now: Investment, Opportunity, Impact” che ha visto alternarsi al tavolo dei relatori l’Ambasciatore d’Italia negli Stati Uniti Claudio Bisogniero, il Vice Ministro Calenda con un intervento sulle misure e politiche del Governo Italiano finalizzate ad attrarre e sostenere gli investimenti esteri e, a seguire, il Presidente di Cassa Depositi e Prestiti Claudio Costamagna, che ha illustrato il ruolo strategico di CDP nel processo di attrazione degli investimenti in Italia svolto in sinergia con Unicredit, rappresentata dal Global Chief Economist Erik Nielsen.
La stessa occasione e’ stata utile per approfondire la definizione di un Memorandum of Understanding tra General Electric Avio e Ministero dello Sviluppo Economico, Regione Piemonte, Regione Campania e Regione Puglia, con il quale General Electric Avio intende studiare opportunita’ di investimento in attivita’ di ricerca e sviluppo e di produzione nelle tre Regioni italiane per complessivi 200 milioni di euro circa.
Domani la delegazione si trasferirà a San Francisco per prendere parte alla seconda tappa del Roadshow. Nel pomeriggio, infatti, si svolgera’ la conferenza dal titolo “Healthcare: Italy on the move”, realizzata in concomitanza con laJP Morgan Annual Healthcare Conference, il prestigioso incontro internazionale dedicato al settore delle biotecnologie e Life Science.
L’appuntamento, organizzato annualmente da JP Morgan, coinvolge i più importanti protagonisti mondiali del settore, dalle grandi case farmaceutiche ai grandi investitori internazionali, ed è pertanto idoneo a catalizzare l’attenzione su eventi collaterali a favore delle imprese italiane.
Dopo l’apertura di Robert Huffines, Managing Director di JP Morgan e Global Head Healthcare, il Vice Ministro Calenda illustrerà ad una platea di altissimo profilo le misure di politica industriale italiana adottate a beneficio del settore e finalizzate all’attrazione degli investimenti in Italia. A supporto della presentazione istituzionale, è stata inoltre realizzata un’indagine di mercato sullo stato dell’arte e sulle prospettive ed opportunità dei settori farmaceutico e biotech in Italia, da cui emergono in particolare le opportunità offerte dal nostro Paese per investimenti esteri finanziari ed industriali.
Tra gli interventi previsti, si segnala quello dell’Ing. Stefano Pessina, Executive Vice Chairman e CEO di Walgreens Boots Alliance, il piu’ grande gruppo mondiale di distribuzione farmaceutica.
A conclusione della presentazione del Vice Ministro è stato previsto un evento di networking che coinvolgerà circa 25 aziende italiane leader del settore farmaceutico (complessivamente rappresentano piu’ di 10 miliardi di euro di fatturato) che avranno modo di confrontarsi con i piu’ importanti player internazionali.
Ulteriori incontri con top executives di grandi aziende innovative quali Google, Apple, Tesla, Pixar, VMware avranno infine luogo nei giorni 14 e 15 gennaio.
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New York, January 11, 2016 – The first of two stages of the US Global Roadshow "Invest in Italy" kicked off yesterday in New York, after those held in Turkey (October 2015) and Japan (November 2015) by ICE – agency that promotes the internationalisation of Italian companies, in line with the strategies of the Ministry for Economic Development.In the first stage held in New York, Deputy Minister, Carlo Calenda, the President of Cassa Depositi e Prestiti, Claudio Costamagna, and the President of the ICE Agency, Riccardo Monti, met approximately 30 potential investors between acquisition funds and private investors.The workshop "Italy Now: Investment , Opportunity , Impact", in collaboration with Bloomberg, was of particular interest. Speakers included the Italian Ambassador to the US Claudio Bisogniero , Deputy Minister Calenda who spoke about the measures and policies of the Italian government aimed to attract and sustain foreign investment. Thereafter, the President of Cassa Depositi e Prestiti, Claudio Costamagna, illustrated the strategic role of CDP in the process of attracting investments in Italy carried out in synergy with Unicredit, represented by the Global Chief Economist Erik Nielsen.On this occasion, the definition of a memorandum of understanding between General Electric Avio and the Ministry of Economic Development with the Piedmont, Campania and Puglia Regions was studied in detail. General Electric Avio intends to promote investments in the three Italian regions in research and development activities and production for about 200 million Euros .Tomorrow the delegation will travel to San Francisco to take part in the second stage of the Roadshow. In the afternoon, in fact, the conference entitled " Healthcare: Italy on the move" will take place in collaboration with the JP Morgan Annual Healthcare Conference , the prestigious international meeting dedicated to the field of biotechnology and life sciences .The event, organized annually by JP Morgan, involves the most important global players in the industry, from big pharmaceutical companies to big international investors, and therefore is capable of catalyzing the attention on other events favorable to Italian companies .After Managing Director and Global Head Healthcare of JP Morgan Robert Huffines’ opening, Deputy Minister Calenda will address a very high profile audience to illustrate the policy measures adopted to benefit the Italian industrial sector and aimed to attract investments in Italy. To support this institutional presentation, a market survey on the state of, prospects and opportunities in the pharmaceutical and biotech industry in Italy was carried out. This survey highlighted the opportunities offered by our country to foreign financial and industrial investments in particular.Speakers will include include Stefano Pessina, Executive Vice Chairman and CEO of Walgreens Boots Alliance, the largest global group pharmaceutical enterprise .At the end of the Deputy Minister’s presentation, a networking event will be held involving about 25 Italian leading pharmaceutical companies (accountable in total for more than 10 billion Euros in sales) allowing them the possibility to confront themeselves with the most important international players .Further meetings with top executives of large innovative companies such as Google , Apple , Tesla , SpaceX and Illumina will take place on January 14th and 15th. -
Events: Reports
The Greater New York Region of the National Organization of Italian American Women (NOIAW) will honor three of New York’s outstanding Italian American women at its annual Epiphany, Celebration on Wednesday, Jan. 13, 2016, at 6:30 pm at the Columbus Citizens Foundation.The event celebrates the achievements of Three “Wise Women”: Donna Corrado, Ph.D., LCSW of the NYC Department of Aging; Carin Guarasci of Wagner College; and Sue Matthews of Conquering Kidz Cancer. Donna Corrado, PhD, LCSW, serves as Commissioner of the NYC Department for the Aging and has dedicated her career to expanding and improving social services for NYC’s most vulnerable residents. She has displayed deep compassion and creativity in responding to human needs, particularly as a champion for older adults. She previously provided 22 years of dedicated service to Catholic Charities Neighborhood Services – Brooklyn and Queens. Carin Guarasci is Professor of Education & Director of New Educators at Wagner College.She was inspired to create the New Educators at Wagner (NEW) program in 2009 by data revealing that nearly half of all new teachers leave the field within the first 5 years — primarily due to a lack of support. The NEW program nurtures Staten Island teachers who may otherwise become a part of that grim statistic.Ms. Guarasci has more than 25 years of experience as a teacher and administrator, dedicating herself to inspiring, educating and supporting children at risk and to mentoring new teachers. Sue Matthews is the President of Conquering Kidz Cancer (CKC), a 501c(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to raising awareness and funding research into cures for pediatric cancers. As its leader, Sue is a tireless advocate for pediatric cancer research and awareness and is actively involved in advocating for children with cancer in memory of her daughter, Taylor, who founded this non-profit at age 11. She is a CPA and was a Senior Manager at Deloitte specializing in mergers & acquisitions. She is writing a memoir ofTaylor’s journey to help parents facing the tragedy of having a child diagnosed with cancer.MaryRose Barranco Morris, EdD, President of NOIAW’s Greater New York Region and Founder of the Staten Island Network, said, “Each of NOIAW’s honorees serves as a role model to young women and an inspiration to the Italian American community. We are proud to recognize their accomplishments.”Tickets for the Epiphany Celebration start at $125 and are available at noiaw.org. For sponsorship information,e-mail noiaw@noiaw.org or call 212-642-2003.The National Organization of Italian American Women is the only national organization for women of Italian ancestry. They celebrate and preserve Italian heritage, culture and language. Through cultural programs, special events, networking opportunities, mentoring, scholarship and cultural exchange initiatives NOIAW seek to promote and support the achievements of women of Italian ancestry in the workplace and the community.
For more information about NOIAW, its members and programs, or to become a member, visit www.noiaw.org.The National Organization of Italian American Women, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization.Contributions are tax deductible to the full extent permitted by law. -
Art & Culture
Governor Andrew M. Cuomo announced the appointment of New York’s 11th State Author, Edmund White, and 11th State Poet, Yusef Komunyakaa. In celebration of Italian-American poet Joseph Tusiani's lifelong dedication to the arts, Cuomo has also named him New York State Poet Laureate Emeritus.
Governor Cuomo said, “These talented, inspiring writers have each made remarkable contributions to the literary community in New York. Their work is a tremendous asset to us all and has served as a touchstone for many around the world. I look forward to their literature being shared and enjoyed for generations to come.”
Edmund White said, "I’ve lived most of my life in New York and have written about it extensively. It’s astonishing to be recognized by my home and my subject.”
Yusef Komunyakaa said, "I am honored to serve as New York State poet. I embrace this historical support of artists and I shall endeavor to cultivate this atmosphere where poetry and the lives of working people intersect.”
Joseph Tusiani, Professor Emeritus at Herbert H. Lehman College, City University of New York, said, “I humbly accept this great honor which I consider a public recognition of my lifelong love for poetry, and all that poetry represents in a world beset by mundane cares and alienating forces. I am most grateful.”
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About Joseph Tusiani – Poet Laureate Emeritus
Joseph Tusiani is an acclaimed poet and writer in four languages. Born in San Marco in Lamis (Foggia) in 1924, he earned a doctorate from the University of Naples in 1947 with a thesis on William Wordsworth. Later that year, he emigrated from Italy to the United States where he began his career as a successful academic.
Tusiani has written numerous collections of poetry. His Latin works include Melos Cordis (1955), Rosa Rosarum (1984), In Exilio Rerum (1985), and In Nobis Caelum (2007 ); Lo Speco Celeste (1956), Odi Sacre (1957) and Il Ritorno (1992) in Italian; and, Rind and All (1962), the Fifth Season (1964) and Gente Mia and Other Poems (1978) in English. A new volume of verse, A Clarion Call, is scheduled for publication in 2016.
On the international stage, Tusiani is well known for his translations that include The Complete Poems of Michelangelo (1960), Jerusalem Delivered (1970), The Creation of the World (1982), Morgante (1998) and others. Tusiani has also written a novel, Envoy from Heaven (1965), and authored a three-volume autobiography, La Parola Difficile (1988), La Parola Nuova (1991) and La Parola Antica (1992).
Tusiani began his teaching career at the College of Mount Saint Vincent and later joined Lehman College of the City University of New York.
Tusiani is widely recognized for his Italian, English, Latin and Apulian poetry and has received numerous awards and accolades. In 1954, he was the first American to receive the Greenwood Prize of the Poetry Society of England. In 1986, The American Association of Teachers of Italian nominated him as the first recipient of the AATI Distinguished Service Award. In 2007, he was presented with the Keys to the City of Florence for his contributions to the English-speaking world’s knowledge of Florentine poets from Dante and Boccaccio to Petrarch and Machiavelli.
The Poet Laureate Emeritus is a separate and distinct honor bestowed on Tusiani by New York State in recognition of his achievements in American and Italian literature. Joseph Tusiani is 92-years-old and lives in New York City.Angelo Vivolo, President of the Columbus Citizens Foundation, said, “It is a great honor for the Columbus Citizens Foundation and for the entire Italian-American community that Governor Cuomo and the State of New York recognize the unique distinction of Professor Joseph Tusiani, internationally known as the greatest living modern Latin poet, writer in four languages, translator, scholar and teacher, by bestowing upon him the title of ‘New York State Poet Laureate Emeritus.’”
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Art & Culture
This three-week summer program at the University of Calabria (Arcavacata di Rende) takes place June 13 through July 1 and is designed to introduce participants (doctoral students and professors) to cultural studies of the Italian Diaspora from a variety of academic perspectives.
This is the second year of the Italian Diaspora Studies Summer School, a collaborative program between the University of Calabria and the John D. Calandra Italian American Institute / Queens College of The City University of New York. Professors from these two institutions and others will comprise the teaching faculty.
The program will foster development of individual projects responding to the materials covered in a series of seminars in literature, film, and the social sciences. All participants will engage in a special research project.
The Italian Diaspora Studies Summer School is open to graduate students (doctorate level; advanced MA students may be considered) and professors from colleges and universities worldwide. The course work will count for 6 UniCal credit hours.Cost of room, board, and tuition: $3,000. Air and ground travel are additional. For the application form and more information on the program schedule and faculty visit qc.edu/calandra. -
Facts & Stories
“On behalf of the National Italian American Foundation’s Board of Directors, we congratulate 12-Time MLB All-Star Michael Joseph Piazza on his election into the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum in Cooperstown, N.Y., that honors those who have excelled in playing, managing, and serving the sport.“Mike has been a longtime supporter and great friend to NIAF. Over the last decade, he has attended the Foundation’s Anniversary Awards Galas in the nation’s capital, served as the 2012 Master of Ceremonies at our 37th Anniversary Gala, and spoke at conferences and seminars for young Italian Americans during Gala weekends. In 2014, Mike was chosen to light the Empire State Building in Red, White and Green to celebrate NIAF’s mission and educational programs across the country.“We are extremely proud of Mike’s accomplishments as a major league catcher, most notably for the New York Mets and Los Angeles Dodgers. His career is distinguished by 12 All-Star selections, 10 Silver Slugger Awards and National League Rookie of the Year honors in 1993. His 427 homers and his on base plus slugging percentage are the highest totals by any catcher in baseball history.“We salute Mike as a distinguished Italian American, passionate sports athlete and inspirational role model for all of us to follow.“Bravissimo e Auguri Mike! “Washington, D.C. January 6, 2016The National Italian American Foundation (NIAF) is a non-profit organization based in Washington, D.C., dedicated to preserving the heritage of Italian Americans. Visit www.niaf.org.NIAF MEMBERS CAN NOW PURCHASE NEW YORK GALA TICKETS BEFORE JANUARY 31, AND RECEIVE 10% OFF THE ORIGINAL PRICE! JOIN US THURSDAY, APRIL 28, 2016, AT THE LEGENDARY CIPRIANI 42NDSTREET. VISIT WWW.NIAF.ORG/NYC -
Art & Culture
"The National Italian American Foundation is extremely proud to award Jennie, a young, talented Italian American, who is passionate about music and her career, with this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to fulfill her educational and professional goals,” said Anita Bevacqua McBride, a member of the NIAF Board of Directors and Co-Chair of the Foundation’s Scholarship and Grant committee. “Through the NIAF scholarship, Jennie will further build upon her professional experience in the performing arts and be a part of two of the most prestigious cultural and business institutions in the world.”Legary will receive 13,500 euros (approximately $14,500) to complete a Master’s Degree in Performing Arts Management. The 18-month program in English begins January 16, 2016, and concludes in June 2017. The 1,500 hours of education and training includes classroom meetings, exercises and simulations, direct theatre experience, and a final project. Additionally, Legary will complete a three-to-six month internship at performing arts institutions throughout Italy and aboard. The internship also provides Legary with networking opportunities for future employment in her field. The teaching staff of the program includes 100 specialists in theatre and management who work with performing arts institutions in Italy and worldwide.
"I am honored to accept this award from NIAF, and I am grateful that they have chosen me,” Legary said. “I am very proud of my Italian heritage.Our DeLuca family hails from Palermo, Sicily, in which my great-grandfather Salvatore was born. He married Celestina Noto of St. Louis, Mo., a regular Metropolitan Opera Broadcast listener, whom he proudly nicknamed 'Jennie' after the famous singer. Together with their children they relocated to San Jose, Calif. I carry her namesake, her initials, and her love of opera. I'm passionate about two things that are necessary in my life, to be surrounded by music and to share in its beauty. With the NIAF scholarship and the program at Accademia Teatro alla Scala, I hope to continue making connections both in technology and in classical music, for my generation and for future generations to come. I believe that the importance of the performing arts today is that it teaches us, that we walk out of the opera house moved, and in awe of our own humanity."Throughout her career, Legary has been exposed to a wide variety of cultural experiences and endeavors in performing arts, technology and business. She began her study of music at age five with taking piano lessons, singing in a choir, and exploring popular music and musical theatre. She later discovered her passion for opera while studying at the University of Colorado at Boulder. As a mezzo soprano, Legary has performed at concerts and in opera roles in New York City and abroad. Her business experience includes working as an assistant manager at a national property management company in New York, developing communications, advertising, marketing, auditing and social media skills. Most recently, she worked as an independent contractor for APPLE Inc., as a quality analyst in research. She is a board member of the Vascular Birthmarks Foundation, creating their online social media 'Ask/Accept - Anti-Bullying Campaign for VBF', and was a guest artist at their New York City gala.
Presently, she has started an ensemble called JACOPERA in Manhattan with two opera singing friends. Their goal is to make opera tangible, relevant, and accessible. In November, they performed at Opera America in New York City, and are making their West Coast debut at the Le Petit Trianon Theatre in downtown San Jose, Calif. at the beginning of the new year.The program is also offered in partnership with MIP Politecnico di Milano Graduate School of Management, in collaboration with Piccolo Teatro di Milano, with the advocacy of Opera Europa, an international service organization representing more than 150 renowned opera houses and festivals.The National Italian American Foundation (NIAF) is a non-profit organization with its headquarters in Washington, D.C., and dedicated to preserving and promoting the heritage of Italian Americans. Visit www.niaf.org.
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ROME -- In a nationwide protest, 200,000 Italian doctors slammed their doors shut on Wednesday, Dec. 16, leaving an estimated 2 million patients without care, save for emergency cases. Also joining the strike, called by the medical unions to protest health spending cuts in the 2016 budget of the government headed by Matteo Renzi, were the public veterinarians. "They [the government] are trying to tear down the entire national public health service," complained one trade unionist.
Since 1999 the public health service has been managed by the 20 Italian regions. The national budget for 2016, if approved, would reduce that part of their budget by more than E. 2 billion ($2.185 million). Premier Renzi has assured that his government intends to compensate for the regional cuts by adding 1 billion. But the health service professionals and the 17 unions which represent their interests say that this is far from enough. Hospital budgets have already been sorely trimmed. At Rome's Policlinica Gemelli the entire physical rehabilitation unit was shut down.
"We have endured years of insufficient financing," says Massimo Cozza, national secretary of the left-leaning CGIL-sponsored doctors union. "The health service is crumbling, with deep regional diversities and with access ever more reduced by the long waiting lines and payment of the 'ticket' [obligatory minimal payment]. We regret the inconvience but we want to save and to requalify the public health service, which represents the best possible health insurance for all citizens."
The strikers' slogan: "Save the national health service." In the words of a spokesman at a press conference held in Rome Dec. 15, "We are saying 'no' to cut-backs in care for our citizens, and trying to draw attention to the government's indifference to the problems facing the health service. We want to safeguard both the national public health service and the dignity of our work." In Rome doctors held a sit-in Wednesday morning at the San Camillo Hospital in Rome.
The work pace of public health doctors is notably severe. Admirers of the late Alberto Sordi will recall him starring in the prize-winning "Il Medico della Mutua" (Health Service MD), which he wrote together with director Luigi Zampa in 1968. The thesis of the film is that, in the eyes of the doctor played by Sordi, the more patients assigned to a health service doctor, the more money he makes. Hoping to buy a swanky red car, in the end Sordi accumulates 3,000 patients, for each of whom a visit can last less than five minutes. Eventually the doctor collapses from overwork. (For a 5" clip of the film, see >>>)
In fairness, at least until now its national health service has been motive for enormous pride in Italy, where complaints about the functioning of the public weal in other sectors are not exactly lacking. But in the health service the problems are rife, and growing. The average lifetime for men in Italy is now almost 79.6 years and, for women, 84.4. Italy's aging population means that 151.4 people are over 65 for every 100 under the age of 15, or over half again elderly vs. young people. By comparison, the European median was of 116.6 in 2013 (ISTAT figures). "Thirty years of this demographic evolution have given us a country that is profoundly transformed in its structure and its social and demographic dynamics," wrote the 2014 report by that official statistics-gathering agency.
The influx of migrants, many of whom can become entitled to care, adds to the burden upon health service personnel. The post-2008 economic recession has also taken its toll by increasing the number of patients who once preferred doctors with a private practice or private health insurance, but now turn to the public sector. At least in the past, countless of this vastly increased number of the elderly would cram into doctors' offices, and tend to insist upon more medication than necessary. As in other countries, there was also a tendency to abuse the number of tests prescribed.
Not surprisingly, today's patients face terrible delays for appointments. In October an accident victim with poorly healed broken vertebrae requested a specialist visit for severe pain. The appointment was offered for December -- not December of 2015, but of 2016. Unable to wait 14 months, the patient made, and paid, a private visit to a specialist.
To remedy the overworked medical professionals, the government had promised "new measures" for hiring up to 6,000 more doctors, nurses and other health workers, who would receive flexible contracts (read: temporary). Hospital doctors, local health service administrators, pediatricians, and public veterinarians would be accorded "professional dignity," the Health Ministry spokesmen promised. But then the promises were canceled for the 2016 budget. As a result, the medical unions plan to call another two more days of strike for January, if their requests go unanswered, and to take other measures as well.
Health spending accounts for about 7% of the national budget, according to a report by Reuters news agency, or less than spending in Britain, Germany and France. But even in Britain, for instance, its famed national health service has suffered cut-backs, beginning with funding for mental health services, with reduced staffing, fewer beds in hospices and, where hiring is obligatory, a less skilled staff.
