Pope thanks board, staff for healthcare

Pope Francis has thanked the board of directors and the medical staff who took care of him during his recent hospitalisation at the Agostino Gemelli hospital in Rome.
“Upon returning from hospitalisation, I feel the desire to address a grateful and affectionate thought to you and, through you, to all those who form the Gemelli hospital family,” he said in a letter last Thursday.
Pope Francis said he experienced a “fraternal reception and warm care” which made him feel at home.
On Sunday, July 4, he was admitted at the hospital where he underwent surgery for a diverticular stenosis of the colon.
Following the successful operation and days in convalescence, Pope Francis returned to the Vatican last Wednesday.
In the letter addressed to the president of the hospital’s board of directors, Prof Carlo Fratta Pasini, Pope Francis attested to the importance of human sensitivity and scientific professionalism in health care.
He said the hospital was where thousands came every day with their expectations and concerns.
It is a care that he prays will continue “through an integral and attentive care of the person, capable of instilling consolation and hope in moments of trial”. “I carry in my heart, so many faces, stories and situations of suffering.”
He said the job of hospital staff was not only delicate and demanding, but “a work of mercy” through which the sick “come into contact with the wounded flesh of Jesus.” – Vatican News