The Gemelli di Roma and the Lily of Cefalù together for care and research

Care, training and research. But also to reduce as much as possible the ‘health tourism’ that every year sees thousands of Sicilians forced to leave the island for treatment. These are the objectives of the partnership between the Gemelli Ircss University Polyclinic Foundation of Rome and the Giglio di Cefalù Foundation presented this afternoon, in the headquarters of the Cefalù hospital, in the presence, among others, of the president of the Giglio Foundation Giovanni Albano, the director Clinical Government Gemelli Giglio Medical Partnership Rocco Bellantone, the president of the Sicilian Region Nello Musumeci, the regional councilor for health Ruggero Razza and the president of Ars Gianfranco Miccichè. The official start of the project was given this morning, with the first robotic hemicolectomy operation performed by professor Marco Raffaelli, director of the complex operating unit of endocrine and metabolic surgery of Gemelli in Rome and head of the Center for Endocrine Diseases and Obesity of the Giglio of Cefalù. The partnership, governed by a ten-year agreement, provides for the inpatient treatment of 18,805 patients, from 729 in the first year to 2,068 in the tenth year. Healthcare activities will be organized by treatment centers: the first three – Endocrine Diseases and Obesity Center, Pancreatic and Colorectal Surgery Center, laparoscopy and robotic, Liver and biliary tract surgery center – will be operational by June for outpatient and by September for the surgical one. In October it will be the turn of the Gynecological Oncology Center and the Center for the treatment of endometriosis, to arrive within a year at the launch of eight treatment centers. The first three will be directed by Professor Raffaelli for the Center for Endocrine Diseases for the Center for Pancreas and Colorectal Surgery Professor Sergio Alfieri, director of the complex operating unit of digestive and pancreatic surgery and coordinator of the Gemelli pancreas surgical center; for the Surgery Center of the liver and biliary tract, Professor Felice Giuliano, director of the complex unit of biliary surgery of Gemelli. The professionals of IRCCS in Rome will integrate with those of Giglio in patient care, also guaranteeing a transfer of skills and know-how from the highly specialized center of the capital. Biomedical, experimental and clinical research, training programs and enhancement of internal resources will be the other pillars of this partnership which, in the long term, aims at the recognition of Irccs (Institute of hospitalization and treatment of a scientific nature) for the Giglio di Cefalù.