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Healthcare: The Miulli University Hospital opens in Acquaviva delle Fonti.

Healthcare: The Miulli University Hospital opens in Acquaviva delle Fonti.

A memorandum of understanding was signed today at the Miulli Hospital in Acquaviva delle Fonti (Bari) between the Puglia Region, Lum University, and EE Miulli, regulating the relationship between the university system and the National Health Service in healthcare matters. The agreement implements the provisions of national legislation (Law 240/2010 and Legislative Decree 517/1999), strengthening the synergy between three key elements: training, research, and healthcare in the region . The signing of the protocol was attended by the governor of the Miulli hospital, Monsignor Giuseppe Russo , the president of the Puglia Region, Michele Emiliano , the president of the board of directors of the Lum University, Emanuele Degennaro , the vice president of the Puglia regional council and health councillor Raffaele Piemontese , the director of the regional health department, Vito Montanaro , the delegate of the governor of the Miulli hospital, Monsignor Domenico Laddaga , the health director of the Miulli hospital and head of the coordination and promotion body for relations with the university , Vitangelo Dattoli , the general director of the Lum University, Antonella Rago , and the director of the Department of Medicine and Surgery of the Lum University, Bruno Moncharmont .

The protocol, according to a statement, is based on the principles of collaboration between the institutions involved , reaffirming the importance of the inseparability of teaching, research, and healthcare . At the same time, the centrality of students and patients remains fundamental, underpinning the entire protocol. The Region, the university, and the Miulli Hospital are jointly committed to improving the quality of healthcare, promoting excellence in the training of healthcare professionals, and encouraging research and innovation, recognizing equal dignity and relevance to each of these missions. "This agreement is the culmination of a strategic collaboration between Lum and Miulli that began years ago," says Degennaro. "The Puglia Region clearly understood that this was not a project limited in time and resources, but rather a program to develop the regional healthcare system, designed and implemented with a clear vision. Expanding the availability of local healthcare services, both in terms of quantity and quality, and integrating them into a broader context of growth in university teaching and research activities, is the means to not only give citizens more opportunities to benefit from the resources of the regional healthcare system, but also to increase young people's opportunities to study and specialize in medical and healthcare disciplines without having to leave the region."

"It has always been a clear goal of LUM," adds Degennaro, "to limit, as much as possible, the unfortunate phenomenon of forced mobility of students and researchers forced to leave due to the lack of available positions and study and research opportunities in Puglia and, more generally, in Southern Italy. Building and expanding an integrated system of training, research, and healthcare in hospitals is the most effective way to provide greater services to citizens and provide career opportunities for future graduate and specialist doctors. If we want to implement policies to build healthcare excellence—something that in other regional contexts has brought not only services but also wealth to the region—we cannot ignore the need to work by engaging both the public system and private providers in a unified, organic, and efficient manner. The Puglia Region is committed to this, and today's signing of this agreement could mark a turning point in Puglia's healthcare system."

"The signing of the memorandum of understanding," Rago emphasizes, "is not only a pivotal event in the history of the university and the Miulli hospital, but also represents a particularly significant milestone in the history of the entire National Health Service (SSR), which today is enriched in several ways: a better organization of services, a significant operational strengthening of the stakeholders involved, and a broader consolidation of the dual system that interconnects specialized university training and the healthcare activities carried out in the hospital departments." For Antonello Garzoni, rector of LUM University, "this agreement completes and further implements the project to establish a university center for healthcare professions, launched five years ago by LUM and MIULLI with programs in Medicine and Surgery, Nursing, and Dentistry. To date, 450 students enroll annually in our medical and healthcare programs, and this year we will have our first graduates in Nursing, while the first cohort of doctors will graduate in 2027. This project is therefore evolving daily and aims to represent a center of excellence throughout Southern Italy."

"The agreement," Dattoli emphasizes, "strengthens the role of the Miulli Hospital as a strategic hub for healthcare in Puglia. This is not just a formal agreement, but a concrete investment in the future: that of medicine, healthcare professionals, and the entire regional healthcare system. The degree program in Medicine and Surgery will be completed in the 2026/27 academic year, and the degree program in Nursing is already complete. Currently, the Miulli Hospital comprises 19 clinics (complex operating units) under university management, 9 complex operating units of mixed typology (with researchers on staff), and 15 operating units under hospital management. This organizational structure represents an important contribution to the teaching and research objectives for the regional and wider community."

The training activities, according to the statement, cover the entire medical and healthcare education cycle: undergraduate and graduate degree programs, specialization schools, master's degrees, and doctoral programs, all the way to continuing medical education. All the Miulli Hospital facilities involved in the protocol become an integral part of the university training network, providing clinical cases, expertise, and training environments. The integration between the university and the National Health Service (SSR) allows healthcare personnel to actively participate in teaching and tutoring activities . Access to specialization schools is planned based on the needs of the healthcare system and may include surplus contracts funded by the Region. Residents are directly involved in healthcare activities under the guidance of tutors, without being employed to fill staffing gaps. The protocol promotes the joint planning and development of scientific, clinical, and organizational research activities, also with the support of regional, national, and European funds.

Adnkronos International (AKI)

Adnkronos International (AKI)

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