The ceremony of awarding the honours of Officer of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic has just ended at the Quirinale in Rome. Among the honorees was Antonio Petralia, CEO of Eurosets, a GVM Care & Research company specialising in the design, production and distribution of biomedical devices based in Medolla (MO). The award was presented to Petralia ‘for having realised a solidarity act through tis activity as an entrepreneur’.
In 2021, the life of Saida Ibnou-Bouzid, a young woman suffering from a congenital lung disease and awaiting a transplant, took an unexpected turn: her health suddenly deteriorated to the point that she needed to be stabilised with the life-saving ECMOLife device, manufactured by Eurosets. ECMOLife is an innovative device that can temporarily replace the functions of the heart and lungs. In Saida’s case, the device was used to support severely compromised lung functions while waiting to find a compatible donor for transplantation.
Petralia, thanks to the valuable support provided by the social workers who assisted the young woman, organised a meeting at the company’s headquarters. This is how Saida got to know the place where the device that saved her came to life, and Petralia offered her to work in the department where this life-saving technology is assembled.
It was an incredible emotion for me to receive this honour directly from the hands of the President of the Republic Sergio Mattarella. I dedicate this honour to all the people who have been close to me over the years and thank them for the trust they have placed in me, to the colleagues who work in this beautiful company where Saida also works today, and last but not least to my family. For several years, Eurosets has been collaborating with institutions and local authorities in the realisation of social initiatives. It was therefore a choice of the heart and instinct to propose Saida to work here with us,’ Petralia comments.