NIHMP - National Institute for Health, Migration and Poverty
The process leading to the establishment of the National Institute for Health, Migration and Poverty started on 7 September 2006 when an agreement was signed by the representatives of the Italian Ministry of Health, Latium, Apulia and Sicily Regions and IFO Hospitals. By this agreement the assignment of promoting and starting the establishment of NIHMP was entrusted to Aldo Morrone, Director of the Department of Preventive Medicine of Migration, Tourism and Tropical Dermatology at the Scientific Institute for Research, Hospitalization and Health Care specialized in Dermatological and Sexually Transmitted Diseases “Santa Maria e San Gallicano” in Rome, a unit of IFO.
On December 27, 2006 the Italian Parliament passed Law n. 296, “authorizing (paragraph 827 of art.1) the expenditure of 5 million Euros in 2007 and 10 million Euros respectively in 2008 and 2009 to implement a 3-year “experimental health management” project, in accordance with Art. 9-bis of the Legislative Decree n.502, approved on 30 December 1992, and subsequent modifications. The project shall be carried out under approval of Latium Region in collaboration with Apulia, Sicily and other Regions, and will be aimed at establishing in Rome a National Institute for the promotion of Migrants’ Health and the control of Poverty related diseases (NIHMP) whose assignments include prevention, treatment, training and research. Into NIHMP should merge the Referral Centre of Latium Region for the healthcare promotion of migrants, homeless, nomads, and groups at risk of social exclusion since 1998 operative at the Research and Treatment Institute for Skin and Sexually Transmitted Diseases “Santa Maria e San Gallicano”- IFO”.
On April 23, 2007 Hon. Livia Turco, Italian Minister of Health, in agreement with the Presidents of the Regional governments of Latium, Apulia and Sicily, passed a Ministerial decree to appoint Prof. Aldo Morrone as Project Manager of the above-mentioned statutory provisions. Following a series of interviews and meetings with the Regional representatives he developed a draft proposal about the management of the project and its preliminary budget which was discussed, modified and approved on 21 June 2007 at the Ministry of Health before the Minister’s Secretary and the representatives of Latium, Apulia and Sicily Regions.
On 3 August 2007, in compliance with the provisions of Law 296/2006 (art. 1, paragraph 827), Hon. Livia Turco passed a decree to acknowledge the results of the preparatory works performed with the Regional representatives and, in agreement with them, to formally establish NHIMP. In accordance with the decree “it is a public institution with juridical status and with autonomous organizational, administrative, patrimonial, accounting and technical functions, under the supervision of the Ministry of Health”.
Furthermore, the decree provides that
“ 1. NIHMP is structured in:
a) The National Headquarters in Rome, Via di San Gallicano 25/A
b) Regional Centres appointed by the Ministry of Health in Latium, Apulia and Sicily Regions upon preliminary nomination by the respective Regions.
2. The Centres are identified as follows:
a) For Latium Region, the Department of Preventive Medicine of Migration, Tourism and Tropical Dermatology of the IRCCS Institute for Skin and Sexually Transmitted Diseases “Santa Maria e San Gallicano” in Rome;
b) For Apulia Region, a department of the Hospital “Tatarella” in Cerignola (FG);
c) For Sicily Region, a department of the Hospital “San Giovanni di Dio” in Agrigento.
3. The human and instrumental resources to be allotted to each Regional Centre, will be defined by subsequent decree of the Minister of Health, based on the proposals of the respective Regions”
It has therefore been possible to identify the first regional nodes of a national network that NIHMP intends to build up by cooperating with other regional health systems. The purpose is to promote the healthcare of migrants living in Italian Regions and to control outbreaks of poverty-related diseases affecting the groups at risk of social exclusion.
