What are you looking for?

The meeting on “Thermae & Medical Wellness” will see the birth of the European Association of Hydrotherapy users

TOWARDS ACTIVE THERMALISM

Consumer involvement in decisions and processes in the thermal sector, also from the social viewpoint, is one of the subjects of the 68th Congress of the World Federation of Hydrotherapy (FEMTEC) organized from September 30 to October 4, 2015 at the Forte Village Resort Milan, September 10, 2015 – More than 4 million people in Europe regularly submit to thermal and wellbeing treatments. Directive 24/2011/EU on cross-border health care pays special attention to the rights of those that need to travel abroad to seek health treatments, including for prevention purposes. On this occasion, consumers will be involved for the first time in Italian and international thermalism: modern thermalism is active, a meeting point between treatment users and thermal establishments. The issue of integration will therefore be at the focus of the 68th International Congress of FEMTEC, which will take place from September 30 to October 4, 2015 at the Forte Village Resort (S. Margherita di Pula – Cagliari) sponsored by the Ministry of Health. More than 100 experts from 18 countries (including China, Russia, Tunisia, Cuba, as well as the main European countries) will discuss this subject to submit practical solutions and new development patterns for European and international hydrotherapy. The stereotyped and “passive” model of hydrotherapy of the past is now outdated: the new model for the thermal establishments of the future will be outlined at the FEMTEC convention. This takes into account the need to involve users of thermal care, conscious users that want to be part of the treatment process, regulate its course alongside their physicians, and provide a proactive response. According to FEMTEC experts, the new model should be founded on four major pillars: scientific research (basic, clinical, and wellbeing evaluation) communicated to the users in an appropriate and responsible manner through the traditional press and the social media; accredited training of physicians and health and technical staff; technological innovation and health safety; health governance implemented via updated forms of social thermalism (e.g. private insurance agreements), and development of public/private management relations, with the establishment of health clusters in cooperation with the World Health Organization. The FEMTEC Congress will formally submit this model to the Ministries of Health of the Member States. During the Congress, Professor Umberto Solimene, President of FEMTEC, in coordination with Professor Alceste Santuari of the School of the Economy, Management, and Statistics of the Bologna University, will introduce the newly established European Association of hydrotherapy users, whose main goals include: appropriate citizen information; relations with the Institutions for development of the provided services; innovative proposals for hydrotherapy in view of high-quality care. The voice of hydrotherapy users, never listened to before, will be expressed in the Manifesto of Active Thermalism, which will be signed by the Heads of the Delegations from the 18 countries attending the Congress. “Thermal medicine is one of the oldest forms of western therapy, and in this respect could even be considered as a traditional medicine (according to the definition of the World Health Organization). Therefore the ‘Thermae’, as an integrated system of natural resources, facilities, and services, can be seen as a meeting point among different forms of medical culture to provide treatment and rehabilitation, as well as health maintenance options. In fact, a more comprehensive definition of people’s physical and psychic wellbeing calls for the acknowledgement of a deep transformation of a few key words of the social system. This is why integration with ‘medical wellbeing’ should be achieved at the ‘Thermae’. The ‘scenario’ is changing and we, as specialists, are facing new challenges, including scientific, social and economic ones,” says Umberto Solimene, President of FEMTEC. The Federation envisages strategic cooperation with the Global Wellness Institute (US), one of the most important specialized organizations, which publishes regular reports on the turnover of SPAs in the world. FEMTEC will cooperate with the American institute by submitting data and analyses on the world hydrotherapy market, thus expanding the scope of its investigation from SPAs to thermal establishments. The Congress venue is the FORTE VILLAGE RESORT (Cagliari), managed by Lorenzo Giannuzzi, a worldclass resort where sea water, medical services, physical treatments, and leisure are perfectly integrated. For further information: crbbmn@unimi.it umberto.solimene@unimi.it natmo@mail.ru (Rus) Forte Village Resort www.fortevillageresort.com Press Office: Maria Eva Virga +393384757326 mevirga@hotmail.com www.femteconline.org (Eng)

Conclusion of the works of THERMAE & MEDICAL WELLNESS”, the 68th Congress of the World Federation of Hydrotherapy (FEMTEC), at the Forte Village Resort (Sardinia) THE NEW EUROPEAN ASSOCIATION OF USERS OF HEALTH SPAs The launch of “active thermalism” changes the thermal model in the world: the consumer is the main player and public/private cooperation formats are under study Forte Village (Cagliari), October 5, 2015 – A shared vision of the development of thermalism and of the related wellness centres involving multiple players – users, medicine, public/private health system, entrepreneurs. Designing integrating forms of thermal-health insurance under the banner of “active thermalism”. These are some of the practical proposals originating from the input of more than 100 experts from 19 countries, gathered at the 68th summit of FEMTEC, the World Federation of Hydrotherapy, from September 30 to October 4 at the prestigious Forte Village Resort in Sardinia, focusing on “Thermae and Medical Wellness”. In particular, Irena Ponitowska (Poland) outlined in her lecture the general health conditions of the European population that, in some respects (including, among others, life expectancy and lifestyles), are definitely positive in Italy compared to other countries. The speaker stressed the important role that the thermae and medical wellness can play in prevention as well as – indirectly – in the economy of national health services. In a reference to the opening message of minister Lorenzin at the Congress, focus was made on the crucial function of thermal facilities and the related wellness centres in the shift from “expectation medicine” (waiting forthe onset of a disease and implementing subsequent treatment) to “initiative-based medicine” (prevention). FEMTEC believes that any scientific considerations can and should have a direct impact on the health of citizens, whose “proactive involvement” is fundamental for their effectiveness. Therefore, based on an idea of Umberto Solimene, President of FEMTEC, coordinated for operational purposes with Alceste Santuari from the School of Economics, Management, and Statistics of the Bologna University, the European association of patients and users of hydrotherapy and wellbeing centres was created. Its members include delegates from Portugal, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, and Romania. The goals of the Association include developing greater “thermal and wellbeing awareness” inspired by four pillars – research, training, technological innovation, and communication. These fundamental themes were discussed during the congress by several specialists, including Christian Roques (France), who described the activity of the French Foundation for Thermal Research and its reports disclosing the implementation results; Francisco Maraver, who introduced the social and integrated thermalism models implemented in Spain; Rzig Oueslati (Tunisia) and Giovanni Gurnari (San Marino), who described the innovative ISO certification for wellness and thalassotherapy centres in the Mediterranean region; professor Umberto Solimene, who launched the European online courses for physician certification and training; and Alexandr Razumov, from Russia, who outlined relations between the thermae and rehabilitation. Olga Surdu (Romania) provided a broad review of the state of the art of research in the sector. The documented report by Anni Hood (UK) of the Global Wellness Institute was greatly appreciated. Ms. Hood discussed the macroeconomic and marketing issues of the thermae and stressed their significant figures (an annual turnover of more than US$ 400 billion). In consideration of the interests at stake, this calls for consumer information and assurance about the quality of the offering. One practical example in this respect comes from the medical SPA of the Forte Village, an area of excellence in medical wellness, where the creation of a High Advanced School for SPA MANAGEMENT is being designed in cooperation with FEMTEC. On the wake of the expected deep changes in the budgets of the national health systems that, in a predictable future, may also consider thermal issues, the insurance group Unipol offers, within the framework of the Unipolsalute project, health insurance policies also for the thermal and wellness sector, which can turn out extremely attractive both for citizens and for the related entrepreneurial system. “The era of ‘passive’ welfare is close to an end, as we can see in almost all countries, both in the west and elsewhere,” said Umberto Solimene, President of FEMTEC, “and while thermal medicine enjoys modern consolidated and undisputed scientific validation, as confirmed unanimously by the speakers at the congress also in response to the remarks of outstanding, yet not documented experts of other sector, it needs to confront with the strict requirements of state budgets. One accurate strategy provides for the creation of ‘thermal health clusters’ in predefined regions, where observational studies can be carried out on the lifestyles of populations and on the relevant changes. Lastly, this thermal summit resulted into the definition of new behavioural strategy models that involve the ‘individual’ and his or her ability to communicate, including via the social media.” In his final remarks, President Umberto Solimene reminded that the next FEMTEC summit will take place in October 2016 in Armenia and expressed his utmost satisfaction about the practical results and the emerging proposals of this edition, ensuring that these will be submitted to the World Health Organization – the reference institution for the Federation – for evaluation in view of implementation. All the participants highly appreciated the organization and the venue of the Congress, the FORTE VILLAGE RESORT (Cagliari), one of the world’s most renowned, with its CEO and General Manager Lorenzo Giannuzzi. Press Office: Maria Eva Virga Tel.: +393384757326 E-mail:mevirga@hotmail.com www.femteconline.org