Development of partnership projects in the fields of research, treatment and training in medicine aimed at providing people affected by the disease with scientifically advanced and humanly shared therapies: these are the main objectives of the Collaboration Agreement signed today, Wednesday 6 September, at the Secretariat of State of the Holy See, by the institutional heads of Ospedale Pediatrico Bambino Gesù IRCCS, Fondazione Policlinico Universitario Agostino Gemelli IRCCS, Ospedale Gemelli Isola Tiberina and Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore.
The Memorandum of Understanding, signed in the presence of Cardinal Pietro Parolin, relates to the aims envisaged by the “Pontifical Commission for the Activities of Public Juridical Persons of the Church in the Healthcare Sector,” which reports directly to the Secretary of State, set up in 2015 with the aim of “contributing to the most effective management of Catholic-inspired health activities (...), promoting the charism of the Founders.”
The Collaboration Agreement was signed by the President of Ospedale Bambino Gesù Tiziano Onesti, the President of the Fondazione Policlinico Gemelli IRCCS Carlo Fratta Pasini, the President of Ospedale Gemelli Isola Tiberina Paolo Nusiner, and the Rector of Università Cattolica Franco Anelli.
“The signatories,” reads the text of the Agreement, “recognise themselves in the values that characterise Christian-inspired healthcare and intend to provide concrete responses to the demands of Catholic institutions and the current evolving context of healthcare.”
The Collaboration Agreement responds to Pope Francis’ exhortation last 13 April, during his audience to the members of the Religious Association of Social-Health Institutes (ARIS), to support the testimony of the founding values with “a competent and clear management, capable of combining research, innovation, dedication to the last ones and a global vision” and to have “the courage to get together and network, shunning any competitive spirit, uniting skills and resources.”
In particular, the partnership between the four institutions will be implemented through “joint research projects; synergies on care areas in order to pool the specialised skills of staff, technologies, and the respective healthcare facilities with the aim of creating diagnostic and therapeutic care pathways (PDTA) to increase the quality of care offered to patients and optimise inter-hospital care processes; academic and managerial training courses with Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore for medical, healthcare and technical-administrative staff in order to foster the development of clinical-scientific skills of young students, doctors, healthcare and research staff.”
On the occasion of the signing of the Agreement, Cardinal Parolin expressed his “deep appreciation for the initiative, which fits perfectly within the activities of the Pontifical Commission for Catholic Healthcare and well interprets, with a concrete and pragmatic approach, the spirit of collaboration between important Catholic healthcare facilities. Alongside the clinical and research activities that, thanks to this collaboration, we hope will produce results to ensure the best care for all people, I also welcome the goal of promoting effective and innovative models in university education for the benefit of the younger generation of university students.”
Photo credit: Vatican Media
