Socks4Docs campaign for health workers
A fun and funky #Socks4Docs campaign is hoping to shine the spotlight on the mental wellbeing of health workers who are in the front line of the coronavirus pandemic.
The campaign is the brainchild of Australian doctor Geoff Toogood and, today, pharmaceutical company Cipla and the SA Depression and Anxiety Group (Sadag) will launch it in SA to bring awareness to the psyches of the men and women experiencing the devastation of a global pandemic firsthand.
The campaign aims to reduce the stigma associated with depression and decrease the high suicide rate among healthcare professionals.
Former Eastern Cape health MEC Dr Bevan Goqwana yeterday said it was important to have a positive attitude and to stop the stigma about the virus.
“We need to tell ourselves every day that this virus isn’t here to stay and will pass, especially if you’re a young person,” Goqwana said.
He said as time passed, the virus could become so mild that it was just another infection one could develop and recover from.
Sadag’s operations director, Cassey Chambers, said the group had been working on #Socks4Docs for many years and creating a public campaign was important.
“We’re also collaborating with other organisations to talk about the key issue of mental health and healthcare workers in SA. A campaign like this, which focuses on healthcare workers, is very important,” Chambers said.
“Healthcare professionals seldom talk about their own mental health.
“It is seldom focused on or prioritised within their workplaces, be it in the public or private sector.
“We just want to provide as much support as possible to them during Covid-19 and beyond,” Chambers said.
She said there was a high suicide rate among doctors, according to global and national statistics.
Pharmaceutical company Cipla SA has partnered with Sadag in the campaign.
“The central message is that doctors are just like everyone else, simply humans,” Cipla SA CEO Paul Miller said.
“By doing something as fun and simple as wearing colourful, funky socks [today], SA will be standing in solidarity alongside these extremely important members of our society.”
Miller said not only qualified doctors but also medical students, particularly those doing their community service, were affected.
“This campaign is an important opportunity for each and every one of us to care for our carers,” Miller said.
Cipla’s medical affairs associate director Dr Dhiveja Smith said: “We started the campaign locally in 2019.
“One can support the initiative by uploading a photo on social media with the hashtag #Socks4Docs.”