- Alberto Martínez has recalled the more than 8,000 people who have died in the Basque Country due to Covid 19
The Minister of Health, Alberto Martínez, chaired the institutional act of remembrance and memory of the victims of Covid 19 that was held for the fifth consecutive year in the Sempervirens Park in Vitoria-Gasteiz.
There, in front of the young sequoia planted in memory of all the victims, he remembered the more than 8,000 people who lost their lives in the Basque Country due to COVID-19, which marked a before and after in our lives. “As the Minister of Health of the Basque Government, I do not want to forget all these victims and I want to show my solidarity with those who suffered the most, because we do not want to and cannot forget that behind these figures there are families and people,” he said.
The Minister of Health has taken the opportunity to reflect, on the one hand, on what we have lost; and on the other, to value what drove us to continue forward, “values such as solidarity, empathy, humility and teamwork; we take all of this into account to continue building a better Euskadi”. In this sense, he has recalled that in the face of an unknown situation, the health system, institutions and society in general had to unite to face it, “since the priority has always been and is, the defence of health, especially that of the most vulnerable people”, he stressed.
In his speech, and on the occasion of World Alzheimer’s Day, the Minister of Health also remembered the nearly 30,000 people in the Basque Country who suffer from this disease and stated that tackling these conditions has always been a priority, “and we will continue to move forward as a Government to continue improving the quality of life of all people who suffer from Alzheimer’s in the Basque Country and their families,” he said.
Together with the Minister of Health, the Deputy Minister of Health, Enrique Peiró, and the Mayor of Vitoria-Gasteiz, Maider Etxebarria, participated in this emotional act of remembrance and memory of the victims of Covid-19.
Sempervirens Park
In 2020, the Basque Government and the Vitoria-Gasteiz City Council renovated the Sequoia Park to turn it into the Sempervirens Park, a space for remembrance and solidarity with the victims of Covid-19.
During the remodelling, it was decided to keep the giant sequoia, planted in 1860 and dried up in 2014, due to its monumentality; and, on the occasion of the inauguration of this park, a young sequoia of the Sempervirens variety was planted, which represents life and the permanent memory of those people.
