The Italian healthcare system helps China manage their growing senior population

 As is widely known, Italy is a Country of senior citizens: this is why China, faced with a growth in the population of over-60s, expects an active collaboration from our health organisations. This is the reason why Italy will be the Guest of Honour Country at the West China International Fair (Changdu, 20-24 September). In particular, the Italian Consulate and Embassy have organised a forum on the healthcare management of an ageing society, in cooperation with the National Interdisciplinary Institute of Ageing (NIIA) of Southwest Jiatong University (SWJT), the Healthcare Commission of Sichuan, and the Italian Chamber of Commerce for China. The Sichuan region has a population of 90 million people and, by 2020, the number of those over the age of sixty is expected to reach almost 18 million, one of the highest in China in both absolute and percentage terms. According to the local Healthcare Commission, the care of seniors is the Region’s fifth-largest industry and will become increasingly important over the coming years. For Italy, the speakers at the Forum will be experts from the University of Padua, the Ca’ Foscari University of Venice, the National Institute on Health and Ageing (INRCA) and the National Research Council (CNR). The event could also become the right setting for the signing of a possible academic cooperation agreement between SWJT University and Ca’ Foscari University. Furthermore, the Italian Chamber of Commerce has organised a Roadshow to present some Italian healthcare technologies, inviting companies already operating in China to attend with the aim of creating new business opportunities for Italy.