Superheroes don’t only exist in movies, they exist all around us, but they’re less recognized and celebrated for their service to humanity. The dawn of the COVID-19 pandemic that took the world by surprise made us discover the significant role of caretakers in our society, especially doctors and other health professionals. When the world was on lockdown because of the pandemic, the health workers were at the frontline of the battle, saving lives. Indeed not all heroes wear capes, and the health workers are among them. It’s thus crucial to commend and reward their efforts as these health professionals continue to deliver quality service.
In the spirit of appreciating health professionals’ fight against the pandemic, Minoo, a Switzerland-based American abstract painting artist, supports caretakers working in Swiss local hospitals by sharing a special creative gift package. The package was tagged “Serenity”, and each package contains an original painting, an original poem, and a box of chocolates. It was distributed to caretaker teams across Switzerland’s four largest hospitals and was widely appreciated by recipients. Hospitals that benefited from the program include University Hospitals in Geneva, Zurich, Bern, and Lausanne.
Minoo explained that the kind gesture was to show support for hospital staff and make them understand that their efforts and sacrifices were much appreciated. She stated, “I have several friends who work in the medical field, and they tell me how tired and disillusioned their colleagues are. The pandemic has been going on for so long that the care teams are stretched to their limits, and I wanted to show them that their efforts are not forgotten.”
The artist further revealed that she gained a unique insight into the untold difficulties and frustration being experienced by caretaker teams worldwide through her friends and contacts in the healthcare sector. And decided to help in her capacity. The multicultural artist has a long history of undertaking charitable creative projects in hospitals to help patients fighting cancer find some carefree moments during their treatment.
The hospitals that received the packages expressed their gratitude and appreciation for the kind gesture. The chocolates were shared with all staff members present, while the management promised that the paintings would be hung in a special place for all staff members to see. University hospital Lausanne in particular was so delighted that they integrated the project in their latest newsletter and sent it to the entire staff, which created even more positive feedback from people initially not addressed.
The Current Public Response Towards Health Professionals Effort in Combating Coronavirus
Looking back at the onset of the coronavirus pandemic two years ago, doctors and other medical personnel were at the forefront of the fight against the pandemic. And in appreciation of their toils and efforts, the whole world came together, standing on balconies and applauding the hospital staff every night, singing songs, banging pots and pans for support, making support videos, and praising them on social media.
However, fast forward to the present moment, the situation seems to have changed slightly. Not much attention is given to health workers like before. Considering the discovery of new Covid variants and the soaring numbers of infected persons that see hospital ICUs getting full to capacity, health personnel need public support now than ever. Unfortunately, the support from the public is at an all-time low, perhaps because people are becoming increasingly frustrated with the new reality of face masks social distancing laws, and other new normals.
Nevertheless, we must remember that most of these health workers have to sort out their personal issues, deal with the social and economic hardship caused by the pandemic, and still show up to work each day to meet face to face with the virus. These heroes have it tough, too, and the least we can do is to appreciate them in our different capacities. Therefore, this is a wake-up call to the public to emulate Minoo in showing support to health personnel in any way they can to motivate health personnel to keep discharging their responsibility to the best of their ability. We all need to save them for them to continue saving others.
Find Minoo on Instagram: @minoo_artwork
Website: MinooArtwork.com
