This week it was the story of 15-year-old Launceston boy Alex Beaumont, who is lucky to be alive after a brush with meningococcal disease.

Meningococcal is a frightening disease. The symptoms are relatively innocuous at first, but can quickly spread.

It can mean the loss of limbs or, in some cases meningococcal can be fatal. Alex and his family credit the quick-thinking of an Ambulance Tasmania paramedic for saving his life.

The paramedic quickly recognised the symptoms and gave Alex a life-saving dose of antibiotics.

This successfully neutralised the virus.

Our health professionals don’t enter their industry to be in the spotlight.

On the contrary, they appear to be more comfortable behind the scenes, selflessly caring for their sick patients.

They see people at their most vulnerable and ask for no thanks in return.

They work long and grueling hours, deal with unpleasant situations and comfort grieving or frightened families.

Paramedics, nurses, doctors, specialists –  they do their best to save lives every day.

Health professionals also get to be around for some of the most exciting stages in people’s lives.

Whether that’s the birth of a baby or witnessing a physiotherapy patient walk again after a serious injury.

Watching a person recover to live their best life must also be so rewarding.

Due to patient privacy, we don’t always get to hear about the rewarding stories from our health professionals.

It’s not to say they don’t exist, but rather must happen on a daily basis.

In recent months, the issue of health has been publicised through union action at our hospital.

The conversation hasn’t been around quality of staff, but rather the system.

It’s refreshing to hear the stories of a good day on the job compared to what could have been the opposite.