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Hospital patients in the �������� region of Emilia-Romagna will soon be able to have their pet cat or dog at their side to help them cope during an illness. Emilia-Romagna has authorised legislation that will gives hospital patients the right to be visited by the animal with which they have shared their lives. Patients will be allowed to have their pet cats and dogs with them during difficult times and during the last phase of terminal illnesses. The region is the first in Italy to pass such legislation. The law comes into effect in September 2013. The measures introduced by the Emilia-Romagna regional government will regulate the access of animals in care facilities so that patients can benefit from so-called “pet therapy” alongside traditional medical treatments. Pet therapy aims to improve patients’ social, emotional or cognitive functioning and advocates suggest that it can lessen patient’s anxiety. Emilia-Romagna’s regional minister for health Carlo Lusenti told newspaper ‘Il Fatto Quotidiano’: “The presence of an animal acts directly on the physical and mental well-being of the sick person.” Lusenti added: “This is an opportunity to bring [patients] relief, especially in cases of long-term care or in more advanced stages of a disease.”