The Flemish government, the Hospital Network of Antwerp and the GZA hospitals will be treating care staff to a ticket to a special edition Night of the Proms performance.
The concert tickets are a thank-you gift for their efforts throughout the coronavirus pandemic, according to VRT.
“In the past year and a half, COVID-19 has caused a lot of stress for all of us. Also and especially the employees of hospitals, residential care facilities, general practices, laboratories, etc. had a particularly hard time,” the involved organisations said.
“They worked extra hours, in uncertain conditions, with unknown risks to their own health and well-being. Thanks to the successful vaccination campaign in Flanders, the healthcare sector can finally 'catch its breath' and it is fitting to extend a heartfelt thank you to the many employees.”
The special edition thank-you concert will be organised on Friday 19 and Saturday 20 November in the Sportpaleis in Antwerp.
Every care provider who helped during the coronavirus pandemic is welcome at the event, VRT reports, meaning not not only the staff from the hospitals.
“Volunteers in the vaccination centres, nursing students who helped out, general practitioners and people working in home care are all welcome to come and enjoy,” said president of ZNA Els van Doesburg.
“For a year and a half, care providers have done everything possible to care for COVID patients and to continue to provide care for other patients. Now that life is gradually returning to normal, it is high time to offer care providers a relaxing evening after all that hard work.”
Willeke Dijkhoffz, CEO of GZA, called the event a “wonderful opportunity to celebrate together that we can once again pay attention to our patients in the last few months in order to provide them with all the care they need, instead of trying to contain the pandemic.”
This special edition of the Night of the Proms is also almost entirely Belgian: in addition to regular guest John Miles, Stan van Samang, Mama's Jasje, Axelle Red and Sandra Kim will also perform.
The various hospital organisations involved will be ordering tickets for their staff themselves, but everyone who’d like to also pay for a ticket or symbolically buy a drink for the staff is invited to do so via the website www.dankeditievoordezorg.be.
The Brussels Times