Outside the demanding hours of work in Hospital da Luz Setúbal operating theatre, nurse Celso Pires Ribeiro dedicates his time to photography, a hobby arising from “a personal interest in the aesthetic sensitivity of this means of capturing and eternalizing unique moments and emotions”. That was the case of the image “Light” (Luz – above), which has been distinguished with the third award, in a contest promoted by the Portuguese Association of Private Hospitals (APHP). “The taste for creative expression at different levels started very early” and the interest for photography “traces back to the time of roll film cameras”, confesses Celso Pires Ribeiro, aged 40, who is also responsible for training in nursing. He has never held an exhibition, this being the first time he participated in a photo contest: “This is mostly a hobby that I pursue in particular when I travel, but also in the working context in view of creating roots and team spirit”, he states. It was precisely that team spirit that enabled the image now distinguished and which had already been prized in a photo contest restricted to Luz Saúde collaborators , in connection with the World Heart Day. To produce this photo, Celso Pires Ribeiro counted with the collaboration of Andreia Martins Osako, Carolina Tena and Pedro Faias, his fellow nurses at Hospital da Luz Setúbal. Restricted to health professionals in private institutions, this digital photography contest was promoted by APHP as a way to mark the holding in Portugal of the 46 th World Hospital Congress, in the end of October. The images had to portrait hospital activity, with the purpose of “encouraging artistic expression in hospital environment, besides promoting, acknowledging, prizing and disseminating the creativity of photography enthusiasts among private hospital professionals”. The jury distinguished the three best works and selected another seven to be exhibited during the aforesaid congress and diffused through the APHP communication channels. The first and second prizes were granted, respectively, to professionals from Hospital Terra Quente (Mirandela) and Hospital dos Lusíadas (Lisboa). Óscar Gaspar, the president of APHP, thanked and congratulated all the participants: “We had the pleasure of receiving many photographs of great quality and sensitivity, and it is very gratifying for us to witness how intensely hospital professionals live their work, participating in the life of the organizations and, above all, privileging the humanization of care”.
