Bern, April 26, 2018. [CD-EUDNews, C.Cozzi]. “Seeing the large number of Adventist health professionals, I am impressed and more excited than I expected. I am pleased with what I have learned about Seventh-Day Adventists and your lifestyle. I also like the topic of the conference as we cannot be healthy unless we first adopt a healthy lifestyle,” shared Romania’s Minister of Health Sorina Pintea, during the 2ndEuropean Health Conference.
Valérie Dufour, Director of the Health Ministries Department in the Inter-European Division of Seventh-day Adventists, expressed the availability and support of the Adventist Church, the support of Adventist medical professionals, and the support of Adventist Health Institutions to help relieve the burden of chronic diseases.
“Following in the footsteps of Jesus," Dufour said, "we see our calling as a Church to serve those around us, the sick, the discouraged, the burdened and those who need encouragement, support and healing. For this reason, we have been organizing this Conference to expose our medical professionals, pastors, and members to the latest scientific evidences regarding the reversal of chronic diseases. We have been bringing experts from around the world to learn how to reverse conditions such as cardiovascular diseases, type 2 diabetes, and hypertension, or mental health conditions such as depression.”
In the end, Sorina Pintea thanked the Seventh-Day Adventist Church for caring for people both physically and spiritually, wishing for its success in this important endeavour.
Ștefan Tomoiagă, President of the Seventh-Day Adventist Church in Romania, thanked the 700 health ambassadors that united in Bucharest and he stressed that, beyond the corporate investments, perhaps the greatest blessing is the network of local churches and the health department organised in each of them.
This detail transforms each church into a place where people find help and refuge and an island of health in every town or village where one can find Adventist believers.
After her speech, the Minister of Health stopped by several booths in the exhibition area, including that of the Adventist Hospital and that of the Special Needs Ministries.
"We had the opportunity to talk to Minister Pintea about our plan to build an oncological hospital in Târgu Mureș, a hospital that would bring a new and holistic approach in treating this type of illness. Although the discussions were more on technical and managerial issues, they highlighted the role of preventive education and the importance of choosing a healthy lifestyle,” said Beniamin Ghegoiu, the representative of the Adventist Hospital.
“It was an honour to speak about the Special Needs Ministry when I met the Romanian Minister of Health during the 2nd European Health Conference held in Bucharest. The Minister was sensitive to the work of the Church with respect to Health, Hope and Healing. Sharing my personal life story of having a child with a disability and how this experience led me to be a part of the ministry was a privilege. The opportunity to inform her about the work of the Special Needs Ministry in relation to education, awareness, inclusion, and belonging was received with much enthusiasm and gratitude.” – Sophia Nicholls, Adventist Special Needs Ministries representative.
