Messina, Italy – November 2024 - The San Tommaso Theological Institute opened the academic year with a presentation entitled "Health and equity in access to care", held by Maurizio L. Lanza, Director General of the IRCCS "Centro Neurolesi Bonino Pulejo". The Speaker explored the complexity of the right to health, defined by WHO as complete physical, mental and social well-being, and highlighted the difference between equity and equality in health. He stressed that access to care depends on financial resources and their distribution. Inequalities in access to care are more acute in developing countries, but also in developed countries, where health policies often favour the private sector at the expense of the public, creating barriers for the most vulnerable. The event, moderated by the director of the academic centre Fr Gianni Russo, was attended by civil, military and religious authorities. The ceremony was enriched by an evocative musical performance that underlined the message of a health that protects and does not abandon, coordinated by Fr Orazio Moschetti and cared for by the students. Archbishop Giovanni Accolla stressed the importance of placing the person at the centre of prevention, diagnosis and treatment, while the Provincial of the Salesians in Sicily, Fr Giovanni D’Andrea, stressed the importance of not neglecting the dignity of every patient. At the end of the ceremony, a scholarship was given to student Danilo Finocchiaro.