Photo shows the advanced health centre at Luxexpo The Box in March Luxembourg Government

Photo shows the advanced health centre at Luxexpo The Box in March Luxembourg Government

Government measures to reduce the spread of coronavirus forced Lili Fouet to close the Café Littéraire Madame Bovary in Weimerskirch on 16 March. “I was reading Facebook and saw all these people complaining, especially in my business sector, that they have no help. Everyone was waiting for everything to fall from the sky,” she said. “I thought if everyone used that energy and helped at the source, it would be better.”

When the government appealed for volunteers to run the country’s four advanced health centres, Fouet applied and was accepted to work in the administrative area. “It was the most beautiful experience of my life,” she said, adding. “It made me forget my work and the problems of my business.”

Fouet was posted to the Luxexpo The Box centre, which first opened on 26 March. It serves as one of four triage centres established in the country to take the strain off hospital ER services during the health crisis.

“At the start, we were informed of everything related to the masks, equipment, the ‘clean’ and ‘dirty’ areas […] I never saw anything so well organised,” Fouet said. Fouet was posted to the reception area where she and other volunteers were the first point of contact for arriving patients. Taking temperatures and asking questions, it was here that patients were signposted to relevant services. Fouet highly praised the protective equipment and respect for procedures to avoid contamination. “You’re dressed like an astronaut and you have to pay attention to everything: everything you touch and where you sit.”

Entrepreneur Lili Fouet, pictured, discovered her calling for the healthcare sector when she volunteered at Luxexpo The Box. Photo: Lili Fouet/Facebook

Even after shifts ended, volunteers received ongoing support including free sophrology sessions, food and access to a psychologist. Fouet, who studied economics and law, had never volunteered in the health sector before and said she was overwhelmed by the passion, commitment and kindess of the people who worked there. “It’s as if people have something special inside them that’s coming out. You see the real person. It’s hard to describe it. They forget themselves, they are just there to help,” she said.

Since the number of new cases slowed in Luxembourg, Fouet has returned less frequently but remains “on-call” should the situation change. Regardless of whether or not she is called back, she said the experience has pushed her to seek other volunteering opportunities in the healthcare sector, and possibly even training. A keen writer, she also plans to write about the experience in a bid to encourage others to discover things about themselves.

“I want to motivate people to come closer to the simpler things in life. I hope after this experience that people will see the world differently. We cannot continue to live the way we did,” she said.

Volunteers still being sought

Dr Pierre Hertz, responsible for coordinating the advanced health centres, told Delano on Friday that some 1,000 volunteers registered to help at the centres, including medical professionals and people with a non-medical background. The gradual resumption of economic activity from 20 April, he said, would impose some organisational changes as some people return to work. "For these reasons, the call for new volunteers remains open, whatever the area of expertise," he said.