President János Áder said the novel coronavirus epidemic has demonstrated, more than ever, the value of the efforts of healthcare workers when it comes to caring for the sick and the elderly.
Addressing a celebration at the National Haematology and Infectology Institute, marking Semmelweis Day, the day of national healthcare, the president said that although Hungary had managed to keep the epidemic under control, “the war is not yet over, as there’s no medicine or vaccine” against the virus.
“You have won the battles of the past weeks,” President Áder told the healthcare workers in attendance, adding that Hungary was indebted to them for their efforts.
The president expressed his gratitude to the staff of the South Pest Central Hospital and every healthcare worker who had “served on the frontlines” at other institutions, GP clinics, retirement homes, ambulance stations, labs and hospital wards.
“Whenever we talked about the pandemic in recent months, we subconsciously switched over to using the language of conflict,” President Áder said. “For healthcare workers the toughest conditions are on the actual battlefield, under unusual circumstances but tremendous pressure … and when life-threatening situations are everyday occurrences.”
The president noted that healthcare workers had a higher risk of contracting the virus than anyone else. “We got to experience what it’s like when the survival of a community and a country depends on the fortitude of those who are still the ones closest to the danger,” he said. “We thank you for keeping our hope alive … for strengthening our faith, for caring not just for those who were ill, but to some extent, all of us, who in the last several months were filled with fear, worries and uncertainty,” he added.
Photo credit: Infostart