20 February 2026

As doctors remember the victims of COVID-19, Europe cannot forget the lessons of the pandemic

Doctors are today remembering the health professionals who lost their lives in the COVID-19 pandemic in a memorial event in Rome, Italy. The event commemorates the first case of COVID-19 identified in the town of Codogno on 20 February 2020, which marked the beginning of the first large community outbreak in Europe.

In 2021, the Italian National Federation of the Orders of Doctors and Dentists (FNOMCeO) unveiled a commemorative plaque in Codogno to honour their colleagues who died due to COVID-19, and five years later hosts today’s commemoration in the Santa Cecilia Conservatory of Music.

CPME President Dr Ole Johan Bakke addressed the event in a video message, saying “Today, we commemorate those colleagues who lost their lives in the COVID-19 pandemic in Italy and everywhere. It is still with sadness that we think of what this meant for their families and friends, but also for the medical profession. We will not forget them.

“We also remember those colleagues who survived, but continue to be affected by the physical and mental health impact of the pandemic every day. But along with the sadness, we also remember our colleagues with gratitude. Each of their efforts brought us closer to understanding the disease and prevented more deaths.

“While COVID-19 is still present but has become more manageable, Europe faces new emergencies for which we have to prepare. We see that many of the lessons learned during the pandemic have been quickly forgotten and European preparedness policies are, in many places, not sufficiently robust to offer better protection to doctors, patients and our societies than before the pandemic. CPME continues to support doctors across Europe in building strong structures for preparedness, planning and emergency protocols.

“We underline the importance of European solidarity in facing future emergencies. The Italian medical community generously shared its experience with the rest of Europe during the COVID-19 pandemic, which allowed other countries to prepare and adapt. We saw that we are stronger when working across borders.

“Today, we therefore take time to commemorate those who are no longer with us. To honour their memory, we commit to working towards European health systems, which will build on the lessons learned to protect doctors and patients in future emergencies. We draw hope and strength in the solidarity of the medical community. European doctors stand as one.”