On 27 March, First Lady Andra Levite attended the 2020 Medical Award ceremony, broadcast live on TV3 this year, to present the Midwife of the Year award to Diāna Zaļepska.
Speech by Andra Levite
Good evening ladies and gentlemen, dear midwives,
It is a great honour and pleasure to present the 2020 medical award to one of you tonight.
‘I am the first person to welcome you to this world’ is the sentence I have seen on many walls of delivery rooms in which I have worked.
Midwife is the first person a little one sees, even before their mother and father. Baby rests in midwife’s arms that had brought the little creature into this world to face his or her biggest challenge, the life itself. It is an incredibly rewarding feeling but also a very demanding responsibility.
All parents want their child to be healthy. At any time of day and night, throughout the history, professional knowledge and kind heart of midwives has guided women and their children safely through the process of childbirth, away from any possible complications. And our today’s winner is no exception.
Many have been asked to work from home during the pandemic, remote work has emptied offices, virtual text messages have replaced real emotions. But your job, dear midwives, still involves you being the closest person anyone can have.
Throughout human history, professions have been coming and going, but your job, dear midwives, has always been a part of our folklore since its beginnings, and is still part of Eurostat statistics and Health Ministry’s future plans today.
No generation of women in past or present has been capable to do without your help – and there will be millions of children in future delivered in your hands.
Congratulations to Diāna Zaļepska, the 2020 Midwife of the Year in Latvia!