To mark this year’s International Women’s Day and in-keeping with the United Nations theme, ‘Women in Leadership: Achieving an Equal Future in a Covid-19 World,’ HM Government of Gibraltar is celebrating and highlighting the crucial role of women in Health and Care during the Covid crisis.

Globally, women comprise over 75% of the health and care workforce, making them indispensable contributors to the delivery of health and care services.  In Gibraltar, this figure is over 70%.  Consequently, their role has become supremely vital at this time of a global pandemic, throughout the world and not least in Gibraltar.

It is almost a year now since Gibraltar entered its first lockdown due to the Covid crisis. In all that time and, at times, in the most challenging of circumstances hundreds of women in the health and care sectors locally have demonstrated a great sense of professionalism as well as civic duty and responsibility by working to protect the most vulnerable in our community and by working to protect Gibraltar as a whole. In their dedication and service to the community they have shown great courage and resilience.

Women in the health and care sectors have demonstrated how essential they are. Women in Gibraltar have contributed to and indeed have often led many Covid-related initiatives.  Over the last year, much has been achieved, women have fronted teams and guided the co-ordinated action needed to tackle the pandemic and overcome the challenges.  These include not only running the existing services but also the unprecedented setting up of many new ones that tackling COVID required such as the Nightingale Hospital, 111 service, Contact Tracing Bureau, Public Health Laboratory and the drive through facility, to name but a few.

On International Women’s Day, in honour of the women in the front line in the field of health and care during Covid-19, the GHA will pay tribute to them by representing its female staff on its Social Media platform. 

Minister for Health, Care and Equality, the Hon Samantha Sacramento, MP, said, ‘As Minister for Equality, I have always been keen to mark International Women’s Day. It is an opportunity not only to highlight the issues affecting women but to celebrate and recognize the achievements of women. This International Women’s Day, and given the ever present backdrop of Covid-19 over the last 12 months, I felt it was particularly fitting to pay tribute to the extraordinary work carried out by the hundreds of women in the health and care sectors. As Minister for Health and Care and as Minister with responsibility for Civil Contingencies I have repeatedly witnessed first-hand the truly incredible efforts of women at the forefront in fighting the coronavirus pandemic. I have nothing but admiration, respect and a huge sense of gratitude for all their endeavours in working to eradicate the virus from our community.  To all the women in the front line during Covid-19, I thank you. Now more than ever before, International Women’s Day is a timely reminder of both the invaluable contributions of women to our community and how when women take their rightful place in society we all do better.’