3 minute read
Kevin Bryant, NZVA CEO
from VetScript May 2020
by VetScript
Kindness is contagious
As the fight against COVID-19 imposes another ‘new normal’, NZVA CEO Kevin Bryant has some advice for all veterinarians.
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AS I WRITE this column on the first day of New Zealand’s nationwide lockdown to combat the spread of COVID-19, the age-old saying ‘change is the only constant in life’ seems particularly apt.
By the time you read this, COVID-19 may well be at its peak, and we may still be in lockdown as a country. While the Government’s announcement of this ‘new normal’ was a shock to many, the quick transition from Alert Level 3 to Alert Level 4 was the right thing to do. We must stop the virus spreading widely and quickly, as it has done in so many other countries.
Here at national office we’ve been doing our best to support all members with regular emails that provide guidance and advice related to COVID-19. If you’ve missed any of these or have questions about the pandemic, our website www.nzva.org.nz is being updated with news, information and guidance as they become available. Please also continue contacting us with your queries. Our team is well set up with home offices and are here to help you.
A recent Stuff poll showed that more than 90% of New Zealanders support the lockdown, in which only essential services (including veterinary services) can operate, and within limits.
One of the most important things to do while staying inside our bubbles is maintaining (nonphysical) contact with each other. Technology like Zoom, Microsoft Teams and phone are all good ways to do this. Try and keep doing the regular activities that you’re used to doing face to face but do them digitally. For example our team are continuing to do the Massey University short quiz from the Dominion Post every day at 12.30pm – we just do it via Zoom.
These are challenging times and my message is simple: stick together and support one another. By looking after ourselves and those in our bubbles we’ll be better off throughout the lockdown, and in much better shape when we come out the other side of this pandemic.
What ‘the other side’ looks like is unclear. The way we live and work will change and it will be different from what we have all become very familiar with. Our challenge will be to rise and adapt to that change.
Right now, as we grapple with the health effects of the virus, New Zealand’s economy is under considerable strain. Small businesses, including some veterinary clinics, are particularly vulnerable to losses in times like these.
I think it’s important that practice owners and operators think first about doing the right thing and the needs of all veterinary professionals, as well as their own. While the regulations that businesses are expected to follow in a competitive marketplace continue to apply, the enforcement of them may become more pragmatic.
One of our forward-thinking members has urged all veterinarians to do what they can to help clinics nearby in financial or other distress. It might not seem much, but even the simplest gesture of kindness could make all the difference to your colleagues out there. These are different times and we all need to work hard to try and preserve the sustainability of all businesses. I favour the word ‘co-opetition’, where we compete in the market but support each other. This will ensure the continuity of essential veterinary services in your area.
As essential services, we have a privileged position and we need to ensure we do not jeopardise it by breaking the rules as set forth by the Government.
We can all do our bit by pulling together for the benefit of the veterinary profession. Show compassion and kindness and we can help veterinarians around the country to continue looking after animals, their owners and the many urban and rural communities of which they are a part.
