Your Excellency Mr. President of the Republic of Cyprus,
Honorable Speaker of the Parliament,
Honorable World Health Organization Regional Director for Europe,
Excellencies,
Dear colleagues,
Leaders and representatives of political parties,
Distinguished Guests,
In the course of thousands of years in our small country, there have always been bright people, guides, able to inspire to overcome insurmountable obstacles and disasters. However, the highlights, the moments of greatness of Cypriot Hellenism were recorded when we joined forces, when we all became one. When we took each other's hand and drew strength for the impossible.
One such historic moment was the period of the coronavirus pandemic.
A period that tested our endurance, changed our lives and our way of thinking. A period of losses and sacrifices, daily battles and victories. A period that produced its own heroes.
Today is a special day and the emotion of all of us is perfectly normal.
It is a day of gratitude...
We are here to say a huge "thank you" to the health professionals who, in the most difficult moment of this country, after the Turkish invasion of 1974, raised a shield of protection for hundreds of thousands of our fellow human beings.
When the "invisible enemy" of the coronavirus pandemic entered our homes uninvited, some of us had to face it "face to face". Health professionals, at all levels, activated all the reserves of physical and mental strength they had. They put their stamp of approval to stop the gallop of the killer virus and its mutants.
In this great challenge, in our small country, YOU rose to the occasion and exceeded yourselves.
With complete professionalism,
with philanthropy,
with incredible sacrifices,
without holidays,
without celebrations,
without the embrace of your own people,
and in a thousand other ways that truly moved and inspired us.
Honorable President of the Republic of Cyprus,
I am convinced that this country has a future! I saw it in the faces of everyone.
In the faces of the doctors,
the nurses,
the rescuers,
the staff in our hospitals,
the members of the administration and the departments of the Ministry.
In the hour of crisis, in the difficult moment, the greatness of the soul of these people emerged. There on the front lines, many times they risked themselves to care, to treat and save our fellow citizens.
Friends,
In the words of the wise, "To feel gratitude and not express it is like wrapping a gift and not giving it to the people you love."
We are here, then, to shout a big "thank you" to all of you who have given plenty of light to the path of fighting the pandemic.
Thank you for sharing your strength with so many, with all of us!
Ladies and Gentlemen
Throughout this journey, the Council of Ministers has taken all the necessary measures required by this extraordinary situation to protect the health of society and to address the economic impact of the coronavirus pandemic.
We faithfully followed the guidelines of the competent authorities and the results of the research of the scientific community around the world.
I would like to thank and congratulate my colleague Minister of Health, Mr. Konstantinos Ioannou for the decisions he took, for the immediate response and management of the unprecedented pandemic.
Also, the Director General Dr. Christina Giannakis and the members of the Scientific Team who guided us in taking effective and efficient measures.
I would like to express my sincere thanks to the Pancyprian Medical Association for its invaluable assistance.
I would also like, once again, to praise the patience, endurance and responsibility with which the vast majority of our people faced the pandemic and supported every effort to overcome it.
Thanks to everyone's efforts, the firewall in Cyprus has gone up. Our Health System was kept standing! At a time when the Health System in mega-countries was unable to respond, Cyprus was an example to follow in the European area. Mortality levels are very low and lower than the EU average
With the right management, the measures we took, and the greatness of your contribution, we were able to achieve this positive result in the battle with the deadly virus. The Cypriot economy remained on its feet at a time when it was severely tested in most countries of the world.
Our schools remained open under the test to stay measure following the recommendation of the Head of the SIE, Konstantinos Tsioutis.
Under the leadership of the Director General of the Ministry, Ms Giannakis, within a week the free access vaccination centres, known as walk-ins, were operational.
In cooperation with the University of Cyprus Research Centre headed by Leontio Kostrikki, we managed the mutations of the killer virus.
At the same time, however, we kept medical assistance and medical care at the highest level for every one of our fellow citizens, Our people deserve it, so I will repeat it: Safeguarding the Health System and the uninterrupted delivery of quality care to all our fellow citizens is non-negotiable!
Friends
Complacency in politics is a great flaw, especially in the health sector. A health minister ought not to be complacent. He should always strive for the best. To set the bar higher and higher.
This is what I pursued during my own tenure in the ministry. And I feel fortunate that in every personal gamble I made, I had competent partners and a health workforce by my side that earned my respect and trust.
Looking ahead, we know that there is still a lot of work to be done.
Looking ahead, we know that there is still a lot of work to be done. We know that the fight against this virus is not over. We know that continuous improvement of the health system is a task that requires daily battles.
We also know that as long as we have people like you on the front line, we can overcome any new challenge. You have every reason to feel proud, just as we feel proud of you.
Friends
I would like to end by announcing another important step for our country and for Public Health. It is the agreement that will be signed tomorrow with the Regional Director of the World Health Organization for Europe Dr. Hans Kluge for the operation of a World Health Organization Country Office in Cyprus. Our cooperation will make a decisive contribution to the upgrading of Public Health, both in our country and in the wider region, and we will be able to manage and catalyze a possible future health crisis.
My very good friend Hans, thank you for our fruitful collaboration in this very important project, which will play a pivotal role in the advancement of public health in Cyprus and the surrounding region.
Ladies and Gentlemen, thank you for your presence today.
(AF)
Contents of this article including associated images are belongs PIO
Views & opinions expressed are those of the author and/or PIO
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