THE INITIATIVES ORGANIZED BY OFI LAZIO CONCLUDED WITH THE MEETING ON THE 9TH AT THE BIO-MEDICAL CAMPUS UNIVERSITY OF ROME
Rome, 11 September 2026 - From Piazza del Popolo to theUniversità Campus Bio-Medico di Roma, passing through the Ministry of Health: it was a World Physiotherapy Day 2026 full of events that, for two days, saw the Order of Physiotherapists (OFI) of Lazio as the protagonist.
Two days, September 8th and 9th, dedicated to citizens, institutions, the local community, and the professionals of tomorrow, OFI Lazio highlighted the value of physiotherapy in prevention, treatment, rehabilitation, and health promotion, under the motto "The heart is in charge. Physiotherapy for cardiovascular health." Special attention was given to the profession's contribution to the prevention and management of cardiovascular disease, the leading cause of death globally, accounting for over 20,5 million deaths each year, 85% of which are caused by heart attacks and strokes.
For OFI Lazio, World Physiotherapy Day 2026 began on September 8th in Piazza del Popolo, with a gazebo where professionals from the Order met with Romans and tourists, providing information and helpful advice and raising awareness of the role of physiotherapy and physiotherapists in cardiovascular health. The goal was to raise awareness of the importance of prevention, physical activity, and proper rehabilitation.
"World Physiotherapy Day," OFI Lazio Vice President Maria Rita Molinari explained to the Dire news agency, "is not just a date to be marked on the calendar, but represents an important opportunity to highlight our profession, the role we play within services, and the extraordinary impact physiotherapy has on people's lives and quality of life."
"This year's theme," Molinari continued, "is cardiovascular disease and stroke. We don't just intervene after the disease, with functional rehabilitation, but also with a view to prevention. That's why we were in Piazza del Popolo: to inform citizens about the role of physiotherapists and how to recognize a registered professional. We thank all physiotherapists for the work they do every day in hospitals, nursing homes, community facilities, home care, and clinics. With their skills, empathy, heart, and hands, they improve people's quality of life and mobility, which also represents a fundamental element of their dignity."
The Piazza del Popolo initiative was once again a resounding success and widespread participation. Among the many people who approached the OFI Lazio gazebo, there were also those who shared their positive experiences with physiotherapy.
"After my father's death," Antonia said, "my mother collapsed and, a few months later, suffered a stroke. However, we always treated her with great care, because she deserved it. It was thanks to physical therapy that my mother lived another 25 years, and I can proudly say that two of my grandchildren are physical therapists. Physical therapy was truly a lifesaver for my mother."
For OFI Lazio, the most important innovation of World Day 2026 was "Physiotherapist in Pharmacy," an innovative and experimental project created with the aim of bringing physiotherapy closer to the public and addressing the population's rehabilitation needs early.
The project aims to enhance the pharmacy as a local healthcare facility and a privileged place for community interaction, introducing a physiotherapist to provide an initial, qualified response to rehabilitation needs. The initiative was presented at the pharmacy in the Euroma2 shopping center.
"As the Board of Directors, sharing the project with Federfarma, Assofarm, and the Order of Pharmacists of Rome," explained OFI Lazio President Annamaria Servadio, "we have decided to launch, on this very day, which holds strong symbolic value for us, the experimental "Physiotherapist in Pharmacy" project, the result of two years of intense work. The pharmacy at the Euroma2 shopping center is one of 30 pharmacies participating in the project, which will formally launch in October. The physiotherapists participating in the trial will be present at the pharmacies listed on the OFI Lazio website to contribute to the regional health service. They will offer their services and evaluations in terms of guidance, support, and assistance to citizens, responding to their needs, queries, and questions."
«It's an innovative idea – underlined the councillor of OFI Lazio and contact person for the “Physiotherapist in the pharmacy” project, Davide Savini – because it brings together the expertise of Lazio's physiotherapists and service pharmacies, already identified by Ministerial Decree 77 as preferred screening locations in the area. International studies suggest that access to physiotherapy screening improves citizens' health outcomes, but we want to test and validate this model in the field before implementing it. Thanks to the collaboration of qualified professionals, we will do so through the use, in pharmacies, of standardized questionnaires, developed in collaboration with the Department of Neuroscience at Sapienza University of Rome. We are truly very excited.
The meeting with the institutions, organized by the National Federation of Physiotherapists (FNOFI), and the round table discussion entitled "The Crucial Role of Physiotherapy in the Prevention, Treatment, and Rehabilitation of Cardiovascular Diseases and Strokes," held at the Ministry of Health's "Cosimo Piccinno" Auditorium, were also held.
The roundtable discussion was attended, among others, by Undersecretary of Health Marcello Gemmato; the Hon. Marta Schifone, member of the XII Social Affairs Commission of the Chamber of Deputies; Dr. Mariella Mainolfi, Director of the General Directorate of Health Professions and Policies for the National Health Service of the Ministry of Health; the President of FNOFI, Piero Ferrante; the President of the Italian Association of Physiotherapy, Andrea Turolla; and Professor Danilo Toni, Professor of Neurology at Sapienza University of Rome.
The Minister for Disabilities, Alessandra Locatelli, and the president of the Association for the Fight against Cerebral Stroke (ALICe Italia Odv) sent a video contribution. Andrea Vianello.
The president of OFI Lazio also spoke at the important event. "The Order of Physiotherapists of Lazio," Annamaria Servadio emphasized, "is making a huge commitment. I want to thank the institutions that, together with our Federation, have made this moment of reflection and discussion possible, which greatly enriches physiotherapy and strengthens its value within the healthcare system."
IOn September 9th the Order of Physiotherapists of Lazio stopped at theUniversità Campus Bio-Medico di Roma, where he met with third-year Physiotherapy students from universities in Lazio. The event was designed to engage with those currently training and preparing to enter the profession, sharing experiences, perspectives, and responsibilities that will shape their future careers.
«We celebrated here, at theUniversità Campus Bio-Medico di Roma, World Physiotherapy Day. We thank OFI Lazio – has ofchiarato the teacher Federica Bressi, president of the Degree Course in Physiotherapy UCBM – for involving us in this interesting and important initiative, which represents an opportunity for our university and for all universities in the region. I thank the Rector of theUniversità Campus Bio-Medico di Roma, professor Rocco Papalia, for making all this possible, for the sensitivity shown towards this issue and for putting us in the best conditions to realize the event.
This World Day was an important event because it saw a large turnout of students, especially the youngest, who need guidance to understand who they are, what they will do, and what their path will be. We, teachers and specialists, therefore, have an important responsibility towards them. We have seen how physiotherapists today play a central role in patient care, in the prevention and management of chronic conditions and their complexities, at all stages of life: from pediatric patients to adults, right up to the elderly.
«We have also seen – he underlined Bressi – that this profession requires extensive training in all areas: not only do we rehabilitate patients with orthopedic problems, but also require expertise in cardiology, oncology, and pulmonology. What we care most about is that the physiotherapist must restore independence, autonomy, quality of life, and dignity. It is therefore important for the physiotherapist of today and tomorrow to have a 360-degree vision and a biopsychosocial approach, as the WHO reminds us. Above all, in addition to expertise and training, they must remember that they are dealing with a person, with their own sensitivities, experiences, and desires, who sometimes finds themselves having to begin a new chapter in their life, perhaps due to an impairment or disability.
«The physiotherapist – he also explained president of the Degree Course in PhysiotherapyUniversità Campus Bio-Medico di Roma – has the opportunity to take advantage of technology and artificial intelligence, tools that absolutely do not replace their work, but can contribute to improving safety and quality. However, it is always the physiotherapist who decides and takes responsibility for their decisions. I thank OFI Lazio, especially President Annamaria Servadio and the entire leadership of the Order; I thank my University and the Rector, because days like this must continue to happen.
"The celebration of World Physiotherapy Day," emphasized Annamaria Servadio, "could not have ended in a better way. Like every year, we are reinforcing the format of this celebration: we began with the citizens, with initiatives dedicated to outreach, orientation, and therapeutic education, precisely to reaffirm the value of proximity. Piazza del Popolo is a symbolic place for us: it is where we began, and it is where we return every year to concretely demonstrate our closeness to the people and the work that physiotherapists carry out alongside them.
Then came the meeting with the institutions, a fruitful moment of discussion. I thank the Federation again for organizing, together with the institutions of the Ministry of Health, such a rich day of reflection. Finally, we returned to where it all began for each of us: training. Each of us studied at a university; students are our future, and training is the heart of our profession.
«I thank theUniversità Campus Bio-Medico di Roma "For the extraordinary welcome, the Rector and the president of the degree program, Professor Bressi, who expressed words of great value for physiotherapy and physiotherapists. The outcome of World Physiotherapy Day 2026," concluded the president of the Lazio Order of Physiotherapists, "is undoubtedly positive."
The two-day OFI Lazio event brought together citizens, institutions, and the world of education, placing the role of physiotherapy in health and prevention at the center. This initiative looked to the present, but above all to the future of the profession, identifying proximity, innovation, and training as three key pillars.
