Italian kids in hospital are in for a dose of "clown therapy" according to Equal Opportunity Minister Mara Carafagna who on Friday unveiled fresh funding for a scheme to treat young patients with a bit of fun.

"'The idea is reduce the stress of hospital recovery and make our pediatric wards a little more child-friendly''. ''We think a little laughter is important to the healing process, especially for kids, and we're happy to support any effort to do that,'' she said. The two-million dollar plan will fund some 35 groups of Clown Doctors, red-nosed laughter experts tasked with coaxing smiles out of their young patients. Pioneered in New York City paediatric wards in the 1980s, specialists say Clown Care is a high art and not the stuff of amateurs. Clown Doctors are trained both to make their patients laugh and understand the psychological wear illness and hospitalization can have on young children. In fact,

Carfagna said 450,000 euros of the allotted money will be spent on certification programs to teach trainees the tricks of the trade, from circus gags to child psychology. However, clown doctors already have a solid foothold in many Italian hospitals where volunteers have been active since the 1990s. In Rome's Bambino Gesu' hospital, Paediatrician Alberto Ugazio said they were a well known presence, particularly among kids in long-term care units like oncology and haematology. ''Those can be pretty difficult places to cheer people up,'' said Ugazio. ''But they work in teams together with the doctors and nurses and really help to lighten the mood,'' he said. Ugazio said the clowns were also welcome among many of the hospitals' older patients, who seemed as delighted to see them as children.

Another association in Naples provides clown therapy specifically for children involved in mafia related crimes. The project was launched by Francesco Verde after his younger sister was killed by a stray bullet from a gangland shooting in 2004. Verde, a self-taught Clown Doctor, said the experience helped him relate to kids scarred by mafia violence, and taught him the value of hope and joy in recovery. ''It doesn't take much. A big smile and a little cheer can go a long way,'' he said. Despite the longstanding presence of Clown Doctors in hospitals around the world, most people learned about the profession from the 1998 film Patch Adams starring Robin Williams. The film chronicled the career of American physician Hunter Campbell ''Patch'' Adams, who is largely credited with spreading the practice around the world. Adams is a frequent visitor to Italy where he speaks at conventions and lectures about his theories on the importance of ''humor in healing''. During his last visit to hospital in Ancona last November, he said that ''being a clown is a way to bring love to people who need it''.