I cease this wonderful opportunity and join all veterinarians around the world and lovers of the profession to celebrate the contributions of the Veterinary profession to the health of animals, people and the environment.
It also presents reflective moments to consider ways of extending the impact, versatility and opportunities that today’s world challenges present. As aptly stated during the 2022 WVD Theme announcement, our profession is indeed a profoundly rewarding pursuit. Veterinarians across the globe get the opportunity to safeguard animals against illnesses and protect those who can (and do) suffer but cannot speak. In the course of discharging these responsibilities, we get called upon to ensure all animals (and indeed, their owners) have a voice and an advocate who ensures their welfare is a priority. This often times come with some degree of burden which requires specific “hard” as well as “soft” skills; emotional intelligence and wellbalanced work and personal life. Attributes like compassion, decisiveness, manual dexterity, and solid communication skills become critical for success.
Recent history has shown increasing frequency of healthcare challenges, more of which are of zoonotic nature and require coordinated multisectoral management approach; One-Health. As diseases continue to (re-) emerge, the consequences and enormous burden placed on nation’s economies is becoming unbearable even for the more advanced societies. The complexities of the nature (pathogenesis) of many emerging diseases, especially those with zoonotic implications, stretches critical healthcare resources during their management, necessitating a collaborative response involving multi-sectoral actors. Following a One-Health approach is an invaluable strategy in dealing with such zoonoses, and veterinarians are deployed today to what could be defined as unchartered frontiers. Veterinarians are aware though that this is a significant burden and can be tasking, physically and mentally. Stress, burnout and other occupational related health issues have risen in recent years, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic. To maintain their personal health and wellness, veterinarians much like their patients, need proper tools and support. It is in recognition of this that the theme of the 23rd WVD celebration was selected as: Strengthening Veterinary Resilience. In order to successfully handle the daily challenges and crises that may occur in the discharge of their practices, I wish to re-echo the central message of the season: veterinarians need to be equipped with tools that foster resilience as healthy animals require healthy advocates. As we reflect on this year’s WVD celebrations, we must recognize that resilience cannot be facilitated by individual veterinarians alone. It requires appropriate support by associations, institutions and governments to ensure adequate education, training, mentorship, and collegiality. It also requires ongoing research to better understand the mental and physical burdens veterinarians face, as well as the opportunities to provide greater support.
The Global Health Security Agenda (GHSA) sets out goals that requires countries to have a workforce capable of effective and efficient prevention, detection and response to infectious disease threats. To achieve this, there is a need to develop not only a cross-sectoral workforce, but also smart tools that can be innovative in solutions they provide. This will translate into improved heath and livelihoods, ensuring better management of scarce resources, as well as improved quality of life for the healthcare provider.
Once again, I wish all veterinarians a happy World Veterinary Day.
Healthy animals and clients deserve healthy advocates.
