“International Women’s Union” in the person of the President of Amirova Alfiya, based on the experience of the Vice-President of the organization, founder and President of the group of companies for medical tourism “Atlas of Health” Anna Vasilets, develops active cooperation with women who are engaged in business in the field of health and beauty. The representative of the international Women’s Union in Italy, Claudia Gaponova, interviewed the President of The artemidalab group, Mariastella Giorlandino (Italy).
In any country in Europe, there are a lot of different medical centers, headed by men in most cases.
Let’s just say that very often in the past management was entrusted to a man rather than a woman, especially in some areas, this was because, unfortunately, only men were automatically appointed to some high positions, since they were considered to have higher competence. Fortunately, today they operate with concrete results, and do not look at the gender difference. This is a consequence of the great difficulties of economic development, which have led to the need to obtain real results and to the development of society.
Personally, it was very natural for me to build a career, being such an eclectic and dynamic person. I found a way and were able to use their education in the field of architecture for the creation and development of multidisciplinary medical centers. All centers of the Artemidalab network (Artemisia Lab) are the result of self-financing and are developing with some common characteristics: quality and perfection of service, artistic layout and choice of furniture for the interior. This led me to create a truly unique brand “Artemidalab”, which includes furniture, specialists at the reception, uniforms, as well as medical and clinical programs, such as the “one day program”, and an architectural image that is reproducible and modular.
My journey begins very simply. I come from a family that worked in a completely different field. My father emigrated from Libya in the 50s and devoted himself to a lot of things. But the most beautiful thing he gave me was the courage to do what I like and be committed to what I do. Since childhood, I had a talent for fine art, so I decided to go to the art Lyceum, and then to the faculty of architecture, which I graduated at 21.5 years with the highest score.
I immediately started my career as an architect, and also did many other interesting things: I taught in high school, worked in an applied engineering Studio, and got a job at Artemis, where I was engaged in organizational activities. It is useless to talk about how I gradually grew inside the company, and over time, Artemidalab became the main source of realization of my life path. I gave birth to a son very late, I was already more than 40 years old. So I clearly know that if you want to succeed in your career and fulfill your dream out of nothing, you have to give up something.
Do you think that a woman’s health is directly related to career success and family happiness?
It is impossible to devote yourself to work and success 100%, having your own business, and at the same time to find a unique sense of happiness in the family. The feeling of happiness has deeper values for me, I believe-it is the ability to distinguish and see in the mind the beauty of small things and small nuances, inner serenity.
What “women’s health” programs are offered in your centers? Why is prevention so important?
As for women’s health, in our centers we carry out all types of diagnostics and prevention at 360°, from adolescence to childbearing age, to the onset of menopause, in order to guarantee a psychophysical and, if necessary, aesthetic state of health that will allow you to feel good, first of all, with yourself, and then with the world around you.
How interesting is the Russian medical tourism market for You? What might interest patients from Russia to come to you for treatment?
I am absolutely sure that all patients-Russian-speaking men and women who will contact our centers, will find everything they are looking for. This is the speed of diagnosis, high medical and clinical classification of our specialists, consultations with a nutritionist and cosmetologist.
Your business was also damaged during the Covid-19 quarantine period in Italy. As the Italian government supports the activities in the field of health?
In the health sector, as in all areas of our economy, there is certainly a decline in the volume of work. Our centers were constantly open to the public, and therefore were less affected than the activities that had to be closed for this period. Most of all, I regret the government’s lack of agreements and unwillingness to consider private health facilities that are even more accessible and prompt in providing answers to questions about diagnostics. They could be a direct support for state institutions whose work is slowed down due to the heavy and inefficient economy and the health care system. Moreover, the macro-level damage caused to both public and private institutions during the pandemic has severely limited their scope to services that cannot be postponed, leaving aside all prevention measures. This, unfortunately, has led to the deterioration of diseases in patients who will not be able to recover quickly.
Tell us about your plans for the future in your business?
I have always had a great willpower and a great desire to develop, this is inherent in my nature as an architect, who always creates new things, I like to constantly grow. I would like to expand the brand “Artemida” to create a true franchise in the field of health. This means that the Artemidalab brand can be sold everywhere with its clinical diagnostic programs, materials, furniture, and training to anyone who wants to invest in such a project.
Our activities also include training of medical personnel, as the network of laboratories “Artemidalab” employs highly specialized specialists, professors who teach at the universities of Rome in various fields of medicine and surgery, and we support research projects of universities with which we cooperate. Therefore, I would like to share our experience at the international level, spreading our practical and theoretical courses, as well as our activities with the help of professionals who share their experience and work in medical institutions on a daily basis.
What advice can you give our women on how to stay beautiful and, above all, healthy?
My advice to women: be yourself, just women! A woman’s strength is in her femininity. Being strong does not mean losing your image, you need to remain firm in your inner values, the values of the soul. I believe that a deep crisis between a man and a woman came when a woman changed the way she presented herself; a woman, even if she is strong, remains a woman in her tenderness, in her femininity and sensuality, this means not enterprise, but readiness and desire to achieve their own goals; therefore, I repeat my advice to women: take care of your nature, because it wins, but do not neglect your inner strength.
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