G8 Group of Health Experts Meets in L'Aquila
27/11/2009
The G8 Group of Experts has held a meeting in the barracks in Coppito, the venue for the Summit held in L'Aquila in July, to conduct an assessment of the progress made in the reconstruction effort following the earthquake which struck L'Aquila on 6 April, killing over 300 and leaving thousands of families homeless.
Meeting with the deputy commissioner delegate for the emergency in Abruzzo, Bernardo De Bernardinis, the Group of Experts noted with satisfaction the "significant progress achieved over the past few months". De Bernardinis illustrated the current situation to the G8 Group of Health Experts, also briefing them on the actions planned for the immediate future, devoting special attention to those people who still have not returned to their homes.
In the course of the meeting, which was organised by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and by Abruzzo Regional Authority President Gianni Chiodi, the Group – together with the Abruzzo Regional Authority councillors involved – also addressed the topic of health systems' response to emergency situations, awarding the accolade of "best practices" to the actions undertaken by the local authorities, by the Civil Protection Department and by the Firefighter Corps. These actions place Italy "out in the forefront in the field of response to natural disasters".
