Ahmadiyya Muslim Community Rally Around Hawkesbury District Health Service
Communities have rallied around staff from Hawkesbury District Health Service (HDHS) who have been at the forefront of keeping the community safe amidst the global COVID-19 pandemic. Messages of appreciation and support have been pouring in since as early as March, when Hawkesbury together with the rest of Australia, slid into a new era of social distancing and isolation.
16 Jul 2020
Amongst the most recent supporters, were representatives from the Ahmadiyya Muslim Association at Marsden Park. The visitors included a family of three siblings who shared a special bond with HDHS, having all been born at the hospital.
The visit was a welcome distraction with handcrafted gifts, cards, chocolates and flowers distributed to hospital staff. The highlight was a heartfelt speech delivered by 11-year-old Yumna to the staff at the emergency department. Yumna spoke about how the selfless and compassionate care displayed by nurses and doctors at the hospital, has inspired her to pursue a career in healthcare.
Ahmadiyya Muslim Medical Association Coordinator, Tahmina Mansoor was pleased that the group had the opportunity to visit the hospital and meet some of the frontline health care workers.
"Supporting local communities and expressing gratitude is something that we like to instil in our members from a very young age," said Tahmina.
"The children were very excited, spending hours creating personalised cards and gifts to present to hospital staff," she said.
In one of the card messages, Shumaila wrote "Thank you so much for all your hard work and support during this difficult time. Your humility, kindness and strength are greatly appreciated. Thank you for being our nations guiding light during the face of adversity!"
Hawkesbury District Health Service Chief Executive Officer Strephon Billinghurst said that the kind gesture deeply moved hospital staff.
"As a community, over the past eight months, we have experienced many adversities. From the fires of last year to the floods and then COVID-19, there has been a great deal for us to manage," he said.
"Having the support of the community is especially humbling. Our staff greatly appreciate the acknowledgement and these acts of kindness provide us all with a welcome morale boost".
"Our sincere thank you to everyone for their thoughtfulness during this time."