Every year, people are invited to nominate a healthcare hero in their life who they feel has gone above the call of duty; the winners of 2021 have been announced.
South Africa (03 February 2022) – “She brings humanity, humility, understanding and – dare I say it – love into her practice.”
Stories of appreciation, like this one, are just the medicine South Africa’s doctors need, over 670 days into the Covid-19 pandemic. Since March 2020, the country’s healthcare workers have been manning the frontline of this global healthcare crisis, regularly putting themselves at risk of exposure in order to help their patients. And now, many patients are giving back.
“This is why we say thank you” is the theme on the Doctors’ Day website. This dedicated website is part of an initiative called Doctors’ Day, created by EthiQal, a division of Constantia Insurance Company Limited. The initiative was launched in 2018 and is celebrated annually on 16 November. This national day is intended to raise awareness about the value that so many of the country’s doctors bring to the lives of their patients and families – and the website is the platform where stories of gratitude can be read.
“This is the fifth year that we’ve run Doctors’ Day and every year the number of stories we receive grows substantially. We’ve far surpassed the responses from last year, as more and more patients take the time to share their healthcare hero stories,” says Alex Brownlee, EthiQal Executive.
Every year, a call is put out for the nation to celebrate and recognise South Africa’s doctors. Heading into the third year of the Covid-19 pandemic, the healthcare industry deserves to be recognised more than ever for the critical role they continue to play in meeting the needs of our nation, explains Brownlee.
Of the hundreds of entries from the 2021 Doctors’ Day competition, five of the most moving stories have been selected and are featured on the website, with each winning entrant receiving R1 000. R10 000 was also donated to the Healthcare Workers Care Network – a nationwide healthcare worker support network.
Take a look at one of the winning entries below.
“In 2016, my father was diagnosed with late-stage pancreatic cancer. Dr Devar was the gastroenterologist and surgeon that my dad was referred to. He was so kind to my dad but also very honest as it was going to be a risky operation. While he was operating the team realised that it was more complicated than they had expected but they continued with determination and managed to complete it – taking them hours more than they had planned. After this 11-hour operation, Dr Devar still made time to talk to my mom and ensure that she was okay and had support.
He continued to go and check on my dad in the hospital, even when he was no longer his patient.
He went above and beyond to take care of my dad which makes Dr Devar a hero for me.
My dad was able to be a part of my life for almost 5 years longer because of Dr Devar and the medical team. I am so grateful for all the medical staff that were involved and helped my dad and so so grateful to Dr Devar who led the team of staff.” – Cayden Barker, Gauteng
This year the stories were especially moving as doctors, and medical workers have reached the height of their work through the pandemic. If you have a story worth sharing, save it for November and nominate the doctor closest to you.
“We love Doctors’ Day because it gives people an opportunity to share their sincere messages of thanks. It’s just one small way that patients can give back to their doctors. We look forward to all the new entries and heart-warming stories that we’ll receive in November,” says Brownlee.
by 