COVID-19: A personal note in a time of crisis
By Prof Dirk Pickuth
Head of Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology, Caritas Hospital, Academic Teaching Hospital of Saarland University, Saarbrücken, Germany and Honorary FMLM Lead in Europe
No country is perfect, and no health system is without its problems – even in ‘normal’ times. Nobody knows, exactly, which medical and political strategy is better. But it sometimes takes a crisis, when countries and health systems are under unimaginable levels of stress, to highlight what is truly valuable.
The United Kingdom is the mother of democracies, the mother of parliaments. The UK has a success record in discoveries, inventions, innovation and improvement, and is a world leader in life sciences.
And the UK has the NHS: the NHS is the greatest achievement of social democracy. It is the highest performing health system in a group of the most important developed countries. The NHS has been named number one in quality care, number one in access, number one in efficient care, number one in values, number one in care process and number one in equity.
I largely owe my personal and professional development and success to the UK. A quarter-century ago, I studied medicine in London and Edinburgh and was a clinical research fellow at the Royal Marsden Hospital and the Institute of Cancer Research in London. I was surrounded by strong and inspiring professors in the UK, and each of these encouraged me to achieve my full potential. I could not have wished for better support and insight from such an outstanding group of academics. My experiences of living and working in the UK alongside people from a wide variety of backgrounds and cultures impressed and influenced me deeply. Since then I have participated in many successful collaborative activities with UK colleagues in clinical, scientific, leadership and management areas.
My affinity for the UK and the NHS stems from a passionate appreciation of the great traditions of healthcare excellence, academic research and clinical teaching in UK medicine. The NHS is one of the proudest achievements of the UK. It is a health system of the people, by the people and for the people. It is both a symbol and a fact of what is ‘United’ in the UK.
I read British newspapers online and watch British TV via satellite every day. I do this now, during the crisis, more than ever.
The coronavirus pandemic is a human tragedy, affecting a huge number of people worldwide. It is the biggest challenge the global community has faced for generations. But to my mind, in the UK, the crisis has united the healthcare system in an unprecedented way and brought out the very best at all levels.
For me, the NHS is a relentlessly compassionate organisation: this wonderful healthcare family performs outstandingly, always goes the extra mile, gives discretionary effort, takes pride in the job and shows loyalty – despite the adversity it faces. Its members are brilliant, vivacious, fabulous personalities with a sense of humour, but at the same time thoroughly dedicated, truly caring and absolutely professional.
In the UK I experienced leadership that is not about a single person, but about many people at all levels sharing values, behaviours and goals. There is no organisational success without the team’s full endorsement: never walk alone, value your team, empower other people and treat all people with dignity, compassion and respect.
The sense of collective ownership and great pride within the NHS is powerful and emotional. It is this tremendous sense of common purpose and team spirit that empowers doctors and nurses and invigorates leaders and managers to excel.
Millions in the UK take to doorsteps, windows and balconies and raise a thunder of gratitude for carers and the NHS – just as they do throughout other countries. But, across all four nations of the UK, buildings and monuments turn NHS blue, from London’s Shard to Manchester Central, the Tyne Bridge in Newcastle, Cardiff Castle, Belfast City Hall and the SSE Hydro in Glasgow. The explosion of public appreciation is heartfelt and very touching.
The sense of national unity is overwhelming, profoundly admirable and inspiring at a time when we are in dire need of honest appreciation. For someone who is as wholeheartedly Anglophile as I am, this intense oneness is highly emotional, too. The UK has always been, and will always be, a wellspring of happiness for me.
I send my heart-felt appreciation to the mother of all healthcare systems and to all healthcare workers on front lines, everywhere, as well as to the numerous teams that support them behind the scenes.
Stay healthy. Stay strong. Stay safe.