A turning point for osteopaths and osteopathy in Italy

The idea of ​​setting up a post-graduate course in osteopathy for graduates in physiotherapy and medicine comes from the Democratic Party. After thirty years of demonstrations to validate a profession, the organizations concerned have shown all their disappointment as soon as the amendment that threatens to put everything in question has been announced.

Newspapers and sector websites (from Il Fatto Quotidiano to the Tutto Osteopatia portal), reported the question and the reactions of the osteopaths. In particular, on the portal of the Italian Osteopathic Registry (ROI) we read the declarations regarding the amendment judged as "absolutely unacceptable" by the category.

The thing, in short, does not go down to the Italian osteopaths .

Osteopathy is no longer of osteopaths: uncertainty for the profession

"Osteopathy is no longer of the osteopaths!" Is the message we wished to raise about the future scenario and about what will be achieved and their profession, if this amendment should pass.

The thing that even the ROI disputes is that this change would not even take into account the work done up to here by the institutions, first of all by the Ministry of Health and then by the Senate, which on May 24, 2016 voted Article 4 of the Lorenzin DDL, article that had finally established the autonomous health profession of the osteopath (from Il Sole 24 Ore).

Uncertainty and confusion : after years of struggles for recognition, here is an amendment that risks overturning everything.

Osteopathy is not phytotherapy

According to Paola Sciomachen, president of the ROI, the new amendment proposes "to cancel a profession with a sponge, putting thousands of osteopaths in the street who in these 30 years have grown osteopathy making a huge social service. Ten million citizens have chosen osteopathy as a system of care with satisfaction. It was the osteopaths who did this, not the doctors or physiotherapists with a postgraduate course ".

Yes, because studying to become an osteopath is not so simple : as the experts claim, the teaching programs faced by those currently attending homeopathy schools are characterized by the seriousness and completeness of the courses, for a study of anatomy even more thorough than that of medicine.

Defend Italian osteopaths

The words of Paola Sciomachen become even more decisive, when it comes to defending Italian osteopaths, their professionalism and the credit achieved so far: "we strongly reject this amendment and ask everyone to be compact at this time and to claim our identity of osteopaths " .

The president continues, "No matter what we were before, we all had dedicated training to acquire the skills to become osteopaths and to carry out this profession. We are osteopaths and we want our profession to be recognized as has happened and is happening in the rest of the world. 'Europe and the world'.

NB As explained here, to become an osteopath today, a six-year training course is required in which the study of basic medical sciences such as anatomy, pathology, physiology, biomechanics, biochemistry, biophysics, embryology, histology, neurology and others is planned, in addition to purely osteopathic subjects.

Training in Italy is not continuous and is not university-level, but private. There are several osteopathic schools in the area that organize osteopathy courses.