Great professionals with a great heart: our thanks to all of you

The ceremony of thanksgiving began with a moment of silence for the victims of the Covid-19. Soon after, in the Auditorium of the Civil Protection Department, at the presence of the Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte, the Health Minister Speranza and the Minister for Regional Affairs and Autonomies Boccia, the Commissioner Arcuri and representatives of doctors and nurses who voluntarily took service. Also, the Head of the Department Angelo Borrelli expressed his gratitude: "This is an important day. We faced a difficult period and we still need to be careful and do our best to stop the virus from spreading. However, today we want to say thank you to you all, starting with the doctors and nurses from our task forces".

The great gratitude expressed by the Head of Department, was remarked several times by the Prime Minister Conte and the authorities attending the ceremony. His words were addressed to the more than one thousand professionals volunteers of the two task forces recruited by the Civil Protection Department to support the staff of the regional health facilities involved in tackling the Covid-19 emergency. 292 doctors, recruited with two calls out of a total of about 8 thousand applications, and 779 nurses -chosen from over 9 thousand, reached the Regions and Autonomous Provinces most affected by the emergency in the months of March and April, providing a fundamental contribution to overcoming the most critical phase of the emergency.

"Today you represent all the professionals who joined our call and worked on the front lines in hospitals and also all those who applied. The response we had was truly incredible, as the heart of our talian people is". Mr. Borrelli also took the opportunity to thank all the components and operational structures of the National Service and, in particular, the over 150 thousand civil protection volunteers involved in the emergency. "You have shown that any emergencies can be managed with the commitment of all of you. Because civil protection is made by all of us".

An emotional witness was given by a doctor who worked at the forefront of the Brescia civic hospitals. Then, the ceremony continued with the speeches from the Minister for Regional Affairs and Autonomies Francesco Boccia, the Minister of Health Roberto Speranza and the Extraordinary Commissioner Domenico Arcuri, who recalled some moments of the emergency and expressed their deep gratitude to the health professionals for the great solidarity shown and for their courage. 

Before the delivery of the certificates of participation, the Prime Minister Conte concluded "We had to face a very difficult, challenging, unexpected proof during these dramatic and tragic moments. But I can guarantee that when you responded to the call, the whole national community was relieved. We felt confident. We saw the resilience of the national community, its strength and determination to not let ourselves be overwhelmed by this invisible enemy, and if we are here today, speaking to each other, it is because you have been there too, professionals with a big heart."