Prioritizing disease prevention forms today's cultural revolution, according to Garattini in Alba.
Lightening Up Life: Embracing Prevention for a Healthier, Happier Italy
Life expectancy today hovers around an average of 83 years, yet when it comes to living a "healthy" life, Italy falls a bit short, ranking 15th globally. Many Italians reach their third or fourth age burdened with multiple health issues. So, what's the problem? Skimming through five decades of medical advancements has resulted in a focus on treatments like drugs, transplants, and surgeries. While these are undoubtedly valuable, they've also created a burgeoning economic market eager for growth—and growth doesn't come from prevention, according to Silvio Garattini, founder of the Mario Negri Institute in Milan.
Garattini, a freelance professor of Chemotherapy and Pharmacology, received the Gratitude Award from the Fondazione Ospedale Alba-Bra at the 10th edition, held at the hospital in Verduno. When accepting the award, Garattini shared the accolade with his 700 colleagues at the Mario Negri Institute, expressing gratitude for their tireless dedication and passion in research.
"I'm proud to share this award," Garattini said, "but it's challenging to work in Italian medicine. We invest less compared to other European states," he revealed. Turning his attention to the heart of the matter, Garattini championed prevention as the "main road" to halting disease in its tracks, sparing not just the individual and their family but the national healthcare system from costs and unnecessary struggles.
"Adopting healthy lifestyles is more than just feeling good; it's an act of solidarity that benefits the entire community," Garattini explained. According to him, 40% of tumors are preventable[4]. To sway medicine's focus from treatment towards prevention, Garattini advocates for a revolutionary change in our cultural understanding of healthcare, investing in education to create leaders who champion prevention within the national health system.
European projections indicate that life expectancy may indeed increase by several years by 2050, yet healthy life expectancy rises much less, creating a chasm between living longer and living healthier[4]. Garattini's solution: shift the focus from treatment to prevention through education and adopting healthier habits. This encompasses educating citizens on matters like nutrition, physical activity, and other factors that warrant attention to promote longevity, vitality, and prevent chronic conditions[4].
In essence, to improve Italy's "healthy" lifespan metrics, Garattini calls for an investment in preventive healthcare and education alongside existing medical breakthroughs. By compressing the period of ill health at the end of life, we can create a ripple effect, ultimately leading to a healthier and happier Italy.
- Silvio Garattini, a proponent of preventive healthcare, believes that investing in education and adopting healthier lifestyles, such as proper nutrition and physical activity, can help reduce the number of preventable tumors and chronic conditions, making a significant impact on Italy's average health-and-wellness data.
- In his quest to advocate for preventive measures over treatment, Garattini underscores the importance of learning and understanding science, emphasizing that creating leaders who champion prevention within the national health system is instrumental for the overall improvement of education-and-self-development and the health-and-wellness of Italians, aiming to narrow the gap between living longer and living healthier.
