A significant number of former and current health workers attended a mass yesterday at noon at the Good Shepherd’s Church, a stone’s throw from the Seychelles Hospital, giving a spiritual start to activities organised to mark World Health Day today.
Bella Henderson, the coordinator of the event, said health workers need to renew their strength to continue to do their work with love and compassion and what a better way to get this renewal than from a spiritual service.
Father Louison Emerick Bissila presided the service during which in his homily he led the congregation through a profound reflection of the difficulties health workers face in a society where people have high expectations of all the services they receive.
He placed a lot of emphasis on love and compassion.
“As health workers, you give and sacrifice yourselves with love and compassion so that others can get well but you are often criticised and do not always receive the gratitude you deserve but you should not be disappointed because Jesus brought light to people’s lives but he was criticised and crucified,” he said.
“Not all people are grateful and thankful for their lives they choose not to take care of themselves and their health but it is the duty of health workers to continue to nurse them back to health with love and compassion and to do this you need strength, patience in spite of all the bad things that are said about you,” Father Louison said, adding that with God’s light and guidance all is possible.
Meanwhile the theme chosen here to mark World Health Day and Health Workers’ Day is centred on the preventive measures to control and beat diabetes.
The World Health Day has also been celebrated as Health Workers’ Day for many years, and is now part of the Health of Our Nation (HOON) calendar of activities.
Among the activities lined up for this year is a long service award for health workers taking place this afternoon at the ICCS. The Hemas Hospitals of Sri Lanka will be launching its “Gateway to Healing” campaign in Seychelles during a training session for teachers taking place this morning at the Sheikh Khalifa Diagnostic Centre. The aim is to create awareness among children about diabetes and obesity.
The Hemas campaign consists of three programmes namely the training for teachers, consultations by visiting specialists which will take place at the English River health centre and a health walk.
Tomorrow afternoon at the Seychelles Hospital at 3pm Health Minister Mitcy Larue will deliver a statement on the health of our nation during an activity which will see the launch of the ‘Family Against Diabesity campaign’.
Other activities on the programme include:
April 8 at 8.30am — Road Show organised by Ministry of Health (starting from Seychelles Hospital via Victoria, Roche Caiman, Providence and back to Seychelles Hospital)
April 8 at 8.30am — Healthy Food Fair organised by Ministry of Health at Red Rood Building grounds, Seychelles Hospital followed by exhibition on Health Services organised by the Health Care Agency
April 8 at 10.30am – Launch of the National Recovery Week at Les Canelles Wellness Centre
April 10 at 9.00am — Promoting “My Health, My Responsibility Begin at Home” campaign, activities on Freedom Square.
Source : Seychelles NATION