In a nutshell, you the real MVP is really just a different way of calling someone an unsung hero but some people deserve more praise and health workers definitely do.
They weren't originally included in Durant's speech but I'm sure he would agree, that those who care for the sick are MVPs.
It comes as health professionals are struggling amid the brunt of the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic.
via GIPHY
This newspaper reported yesterday that healthcare workers across New Zealand and Australia were exhausted.
University of Melbourne School of Population and Global Health professor Marie Bismark has published a book about the pandemic experiences of healthcare workers.
She says we're seeing high rates of depression, anxiety and burnout among workers.
Tiaho Medical Centre practice nurse manager Tracey Morgan believes the strain is the result of a chain reaction of "layers on layers" of increasingly built-up issues.
She says nurses have faced ever-changing information, difficult logistics in finding supplies such as flu vaccines and protective gear, and frustrated patients.
Morgan is right to point out this is happening all while healthcare workers are putting their own health at risk. There are also ongoing pay concerns for some in the industry.
Last week, a union for allied health workers said members had no option but to launch strike action for 24 hours and 10,000 workers walked off the job.
The strike, which put many elective surgeries on hold, came about after the union and the District Health Boards failed to agree over pay.
It seems to pay people what they deserve - or what they think they do - in the health sector is an ongoing problem.
But it would be absurd to suggest all the stresses of working on the frontline during a pandemic could be solved with a boosted paycheck.
That's beside the point.
Health workers are among our hardest working at the moment and have been working virtually non-stop since March 2020.
More needs to be done, at a societal level and by the Government, when it comes to looking after health professionals.
What that action is exactly, I'm not sure but it starts with realising how valuable these people are to our community.
