The first ever International Paramedics Day is being today (8th July 2022) to recognise and celebrate the work carried out by paramedics and first responders around the world.
Throughout the Covid pandemic, paramedics have put the wellbeing and interests of others first, working tirelessly in the most challenging of circumstances and often at great risk to themselves.
Now, for the first time, the 8th July is being dedicated to the world’s paramedics. This date is the anniversary of the birth of Dominique-Jean Larrey, the man often referred to as the ‘father of modern-day ambulance services’.
Anna Parry, Deputy Managing Director of the Association of Ambulance Chief Executives (AACE) said:
AACE is extremely pleased to be one of the key global partners supporting the inaugural International Paramedics Day.
Paramedics – alongside other frontline clinical staff and volunteers – play a crucial role in the ambulance workforce, showing endless commitment and dedication to saving lives and caring for patients every day.
At a time when the UK ambulance sector is under intense pressure, the wellbeing of our staff is of paramount importance, and publicly recognising and acknowledging the vital role paramedics play within the NHS workforce is an important way of saying thank you to them all.
The theme of this year’s event may be well be ‘proud to be a paramedic’ but we are indeed extremely proud to have paramedics as a vital part of our ambulance workforce and we join our international colleagues in celebrating the profession’s achievements.
International Paramedics Day has been created, organised and run by the College of Paramedics in the UK, with support from professional paramedics’ organisations from around the world.
