Overseas NHS Workers Day
The National Health Service (NHS) is the publicly funded healthcare system in England and one of the four National Health Service systems in the UK. Since the end of WWII, this organization has been funded from the general taxation fund and has helped countless citizens throughout the years.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, this organization had to increasingly rely on doctors from overseas to handle the resulting surge, and that’s why March 3rd was made into Overseas NHS Workers Day. This is a day for the United Kingdom’s medical community to show appreciation to their medical peers from around the world.
The History of Overseas NHS Workers Day
This holiday was first created in 2021 by The Doctors’ Association UK. It was created to show support to international healthcare workers who joined the fight against COVID from hundreds of different countries.
Many of these international healthcare workers had to face significant personal challenges, as well as challenges presented by bureaucracy while they were tending to the sick.
Some Interesting Facts About the NHS
As we’re all sitting here talking about Overseas NHS Workers Day, we thought that we’d take a few moments to talk about the NHS. Although we’re not experts on the subject, we thought that we would lay down some of the facts that we learned about this organization while we were researching this holiday. Let’s take a few moments and look at the following facts before continuing on to the next section.
- When the NHS began, its budget was approximately £437 million.
- The NHS is the largest employer in the United Kingdom and the fifth largest employer in the world.
- Prescriptions on the NHS used to be free.
Observing Overseas NHS Workers Day
On this day, medical professionals across the UK are encouraged to show some appreciation to their international peers. This can be done by doing something as simple as giving them a thank you or buying them a cup of tea or coffee.
It’s also a good day to spread awareness about the need for better working conditions for international medical staff. This can be done by using the hashtag #OverseasNHSWorkersDay on social media.
