The University Hospital of Gran Canaria Dr. Negrín has inaugurated this week the sculpture ‘A pulso’ (By Pulse), a work by the Gran Canaria artist Daniel Pérez and donated by the Mapfre Canarias Foundation, which pays tribute to the work of health workers during the Covid-19 pandemic.
The event was attended by the Spanish Princess Elena de Borbón; the President of the Canary Islands, Ángel Víctor Torres; the President of the Mapfre Canarias Foundation, Ignacio Baeza; the Canary Islands Minister of Health, Blas Trujillo; and the Managing Director of the hospital, Pedro Rodríguez, among other authorities.
According to its author, ‘A pulso’ represents a timeline with a beginning that involves a twisting of the forms (representing March 2020) but which gradually progresses (with the arrival of the vaccines) with a “cleaner” curve until it begins to “see the light”.
“The sculpture rises towards the sky to remember the people who fought and who were left behind,” said Daniel Pérez.
During her speech, the Spanish Princess placed special emphasis on society’s gratitude to all the professionals in the health sector who, whether in the front line or less visible, “have worked with such effort and dedication for the wellbeing of people over the years”.
Undoubtedly,” she continued, “these have been very difficult times, very hard years in which we have seen many people fall ill, we have seen people leave us… times that have forced us to drastically change our way of seeing and understanding things”.
As for the sculpture, the director of projects at Fundación MAPFRE stressed that it will serve to keep “always alive” the memory of all that has happened, of all that has been learned and of the new challenges that the future may bring.
A SPIRAL OF VERTIGUE AND HOPE
The President of the Canary Islands expressed himself along the same lines, stressing that the work is a spiral, “a roller coaster of vertigo and fear, but also of hope”.
“Just twelve months ago, the archipelago had the highest number of people in the ICU and in hospital beds of the whole pandemic. At that time we went back to that spiral of ups and downs,” he said.
Torres noted that it seems like a long time ago but in reality it was only a year ago. “The most important thing we have, and it has proven to be a treasure in our society, is healthcare,” he said.
A “DAILY” EFFORT
The president of the Mapfre Canarias Foundation, Ignacio Baeza, for his part, insisted on the fact that the sculpture represents society’s gratitude for the daily, day-to-day efforts of all healthcare personnel.
But especially,” he added, “for the effort and professionalism they showed in the toughest stages and where Covid-19 hit the hardest. It is something we all remember and we will not forget”.
RECOGNITION OF ALL THE PROFESSIONALS OF THE CANARIAN HEALTH SERVICE
Meanwhile, the managing director of the hospital, Pedro Rodríguez, said that although the sculpture is installed at Dr. Negrín Hospital, it is a recognition of all the professionals of the Canary Islands Health Service.
For this reason, he highlighted the work of all the professionals over the last three years in the fight against the coronavirus.
“At the beginning, there was a lack of knowledge, uncertainty and even fear. Now, with research, vaccines and treatments, it allows us to work responsibly and without fear,” he noted.
