A brand new monument was unveiled on Monday on the Nationwide Chest Hospital in St Andrew, a logo of the bravery and dedication of healthcare staff who misplaced their lives throughout the COVID-19 pandemic.
The almost 10-foot-tall construction, which is product of concrete and metal, will function a long-lasting tribute to the women and men who risked their lives to avoid wasting others amid the uncertainty of the worldwide well being disaster. Talking on the unveiling of the Healthcare Staff Monument, Prime Minister Dr Andrew Holness mentioned the monument isn’t merely a construction of stone and metallic.
“It represents the braveness, dedication and sacrifice of the healthcare staff who stood on the entrance strains throughout probably the most difficult intervals in our nation’s latest historical past,” he mentioned.
“When COVID-19 reached our shores … it was our medical doctors, nurses, affected person care assistants, hospital attendants, technicians, help employees and different healthcare professionals who rose to the event. Within the face of overwhelming odds, that’s, essentially the most devastating pandemic, they stood agency on the frontline of defence and didn’t falter. They put their obligation above their fears, their sufferers above their very own well-being and in doing so saved numerous lives,” he added.
Minister of Well being and Wellness, Dr Christopher Tufton, emphasised the significance of remembering the healthcare heroes who made the last word sacrifice. He famous that, “this monument… stands as an everlasting image of their dedication but additionally of their bravery in service to the folks of Jamaica”.
The monument options gold plates etched with the names of the fallen heroes, mounted on porcelain tiles. It honours a variety of healthcare professionals, who labored tirelessly throughout the pandemic, from medical doctors and nurses to affected person care assistants, cooks, midwives, and psychological well being officers. Every identify represents a lifetime of selfless service and supreme sacrifice.
“The expertise of COVID-19 was directly terrifying and unsure. But, these women and men, our healthcare heroes, all put their lives on the road, pushing by means of the concern and thru the uncertainty to protect well being and to avoid wasting the lives of others,” Tufton continued.
He famous that because the monument stands tall, its message is obvious; these heroes could also be gone, however their legacy endures within the lives they saved and the inspiration they left behind.
“To their family members right here at present, there are not any phrases to fill the void that they’ve left behind. I belief, nevertheless, that you already know that whereas your family members, our colleagues, could also be gone, they’ll by no means be forgotten… . Their legacy endures … within the reminiscences of the moments shared on and off the job,” the minister mentioned. He added that the monument isn’t merely a tribute.
“This close to 10-feet tall monument … can be a promise to proceed to honour the sacrifice of our healthcare heroes by constructing stronger healthcare methods and persevering with to help those that serve on the entrance strains,” mentioned the well being minister.
“I belief that it may be a spot the place the heroes we misplaced are all the time remembered, and their sacrifice honoured,” he added.
