Our
Mission
SIHA – Senior International Health Association is the federation that brings together the associations involved at EU and international level on matters concerning elderly people with the aim of coordinating their action on Health.
Our mission is to protect the Right to Health by working every day to create a network intending to promote objective interests for the protection of both patients and health systems.
We act in a scenario where an aging population is both an achievement and a phenomenon with a strong impact on European and Western social systems.
The people, with his rights and needs, is the focus of our vision
Our Aims are
- the promotion of active aging;
- full access to drugs and care for all citizens, and primarily the most vulnerable and dependent;
- the activation of a constructive dialogue between all stakeholders in the health system (patients, general practitioners, pharmacists, scientific societies and institutions) for the development of health systems suitable for elderly;
- the development of a digital culture for senior population granting a better quality of life.
Elio D’Orazio, Founder e First President
Philosopher, writer, trade unionist, musician by passion, Elio D’Orazio was certainly a brilliant and sharp mind, put at the service of the third sector in Italy and Europe.
Throughout his life, he was constantly committed, both culturally and politically, to the social sector and the protection of the third age through leadership positions in Italian professional and voluntary associations.
Engaged across borders as head of many European projects dedicated to the third age, Vice President of Age Platform from 2005 to 2008, he founded Senior International Health Association, together with the other members, as first President.
With the aim of uniting the elderly in Europe and beyond in a single voice for the protection of the right to health: improving the quality of care, health education, making social and health services accessible, efficient, effective, appropriate, making good use of resources are just an example of the initiatives carried out until his premature death.
With the memory and teachings of Elio, today we continue to work for the enhancement of older people in society, in the economy, in culture, in volunteering to seize the opportunity to give power and strength to the hundreds of thousands of older people willing to give their contribution to live better.
Roberto Messina, Co-Founder and President
Roberto Messina is the co-founder and current president of the Senior International Health Association – SIHA
He is an expert in the third sector, he has a background of studies in Economics and Health Sciences. He has been a lecturer at the High School of Management and Solidarity HSR (Social Marketing). Always committed to health issues and policies for the elderly, in 2002 Roberto founded the OTE (Observatory of the Third Age), where he held the position of National Secretary from 2003 to 2005.
In 2006 he founded FederAnziani, where he has been National President ever since. He coordinates the Centro Studi di Economia of Senior Italia FederAnziani. Roberto Messina is author of over 140 scientific and social publications and speaker at over 600 medical-scientific conferences.
He is a member of the following institutional bodies at national level in the Italian Ministry of Health – GARD, National Control Room of the National Plan of Chronicity, Incontinence Table, Innovation Table, Work Table on the prevention of osteoporosis and the reduction of fractures from frailty; in AIFA – Tavolo Geriatria, Steering Committee Geriatric Group, AIFA – Pneumological-allergy support table.
At regional level he is a member of: Technical Table of the Hospital Network/Territory and Socio-Sanitary Integration, Lombardy Region – Pain Therapy Commission, Piedmont Region and international EUPATI (European Patients’ Academy on Therapeutic Innovation).
