There are 19 doctors, nurses, nurses, supervisors and psychiatrists. They recorded a video and created the hashtag (#AplaudeConTuVoto) for next May 4, the day of the regional elections for the Madrid community. Reason? Defending public health and asking residents not to stay in their homes next Tuesday. Among the participants in this group is Yolanda Fuentes, a specialist in preventive medicine and former director of the General Directorate of Public Health in Madrid. He resigned in May because he did not agree to the accelerated calm that the group had tried to implement.

Fuentes did not want to agree to the stage for which the region was not prepared. Now, nearly a year later, in which he preferred to continue his work and not be interviewed, he is part of twenty public health system professionals asking residents to exercise 4-M their right to vote. “We have the opportunity to meet again to praise public health, so that everyone knows how important it is to defend public health, support all who care for us and renew hope for a better future. This time it will not be on the balconies, but at the polls. This time it will not be our applause, it will be. With our voices, and it will be as important as it was at the time. If you go out to applaud, next May 4, don’t stay home and go out and vote, “they ask in the video.

The “vital” importance of advocating for public health

Carlos Villaeus, the intensification specialist and one of the other specialists who make up this group, explains that the idea arose because everyone “realizes” that they are “playing a lot” in this election: “Because of what we lived, because of the epidemic and because of the importance of healthcare management in Madrid society now better than Ever “. They refer to the applause because, he asserts, “when people went out to the balconies and showed their support, this association appeared, and the support for that applause now should be the participation of the people and not staying at home.” This doctor asserts that the “vital importance” of public health advocacy stems from the fact that “this is what guarantees everyone, regardless of their purchasing power or the severity of their illness, will get the health care they need.”

Madrid, the community with the largest number of infections and deaths, has become the epicenter of the epidemic since the virus arrived. Hospitals, primary care, emergency and urgent services experienced the worst months in their history. “We still remember those first two months,” says Velius. The ability to respond to the health crisis was, for the most part, out of the public system. “The freedom that is talked about a lot in this campaign is not to leave the sticks, but to guarantee health and this is what public health gives you.” “It is a very valuable and very important asset that we have achieved in this society and in this country, and it must be managed by ensuring that it is a good public service and not a good business,” concludes Al-Mudazif.

This is the transcript of the #AplaudeConTuVoto video:

“If we learned something this past year with the epidemic that we have witnessed, it is that public health and its professionals are essential to their quality, training, and dedication. We need sufficient resources in health centers to give our patients the care they deserve, we need tracking devices and vaccines to contain the epidemic. We need hospitals that we can enter with dignity. When we get sick, and intensive care units when things get tough We need professionals who look after our patients and their families, who look after us, and who never let anyone be left behind.

The first wave of the pandemic was a very trying time. None of us will ever forget the suffering of so many people, the fear and effort of all our colleagues, the unity of those entering the hospital, the empty streets, the hospitals full, in silence.

But in addition to all that difficult experience, we also had something very beautiful: the clap at eight. This applause was a collective celebration that wanted to drive away fear, and to feel us together in the face of adversity. The applause helped us reinforce the fragile hope as much as was necessary. It was a very exciting time for the health experts. From the balconies, a clear message reached us: “We are with you, you support us.” Mysteriously we felt that with this applause it was worth standing up on our feet.

Even today, when we continue to fight this same disease, we sometimes close our eyes and hear your applause again. Thank.

On May 4 we have the opportunity to meet again to pay tribute to public health, so that everyone knows how important it is to stand up for public health, support everyone who cares for us and renew hope for a better future.

This time it will not be on the balconies, but at the polls. This time it will not be with our applause, but with our voices, and it will be as important as it was at the time. If you go out to applaud, on May 4, don’t stay home and vote. “

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