Francesco Sicurello

CNR-ITB (Institute of Biomedical Technologies) Segrate-MI (Italy)
President of @ITIM-Italian Association of Telemedicine and Medical informatics

The European Union countries are characterised by a health condition typical of industrialised countries: an elderly population, the prevalence of cardiological, neurological, oncological and some infectious diseases, etc. The non-EU countries of the Mediterranean area are characterised by a health situation falling somewhere between those of developing and industrialised countries: i.e. there is a prevalence of infectious diseases, but also an incidence of diseases typical of an ageing population (oncological, cardiological, neurological, etc.); even though pediatric and new-born patients are still more commonly affected. Moreover, it is also necessary to consider the no less relevant aspect of large-scale immigrant movements, which means that many European hospitals now have to contend with diseases typical of North Africa; another factor for the medical cooperation is the increasing flow of European tourists and workers also towards the not- European countries of the Mediterranean Area.