Nurses hold hands to cheer up for Wuhan at the makeshift Huoshenshan (Fire God Mountain) Hospital in Wuhan, capital of central China's Hubei Province, March 20, 2020. (Xinhua/Wang Yuguo)
It has never been so clear that all countries need to invest more in the entire public health workforce to build strong and resilient health systems, WHO Representative in China Gauden Galea said Tuesday, calling it a "critical lesson" from COVID-19 that one cannot afford to miss.
BEIJING, April 7 (Xinhua) -- World Health Organization (WHO) Representative in China Gauden Galea Tuesday expressed gratitude to nurses on the frontlines of the fight against COVID-19.
"Right now, nurses around the world are at the frontlines of the COVID-19 fight, working tirelessly to save lives and protect others," Galea said at a press conference in Beijing.
He stressed the contribution of the nursing and midwifery professionals and called for support and protection for them.
"COVID-19 has made absolutely clear the importance of investing in the workforce of nursing and midwifery," he said.
Galea also stressed the contributions of doctors, lab technicians, public health specialists, epidemiologists, and animal health investigators.
It has never been so clear that all countries need to invest more in the entire public health workforce to build strong and resilient health systems, he said, calling it a "critical lesson" from COVID-19 that one cannot afford to miss.
Medical workers have been under great pressure over the past 70 days, and faced incredible hardships, said Mi Feng, spokesperson for the China's National Health Commission at the press conference.
The people will always remember and be grateful for their contributions, Mi said, noting that the consensus of respecting medical workers and valuing public health is enjoying popular support. ■