Delivered by the SayPro Chancellor Officer- Jeffery Montapina
Ladies and Gentlemen, Distinguished Guests, Esteemed SayPro Leadership, Community Champions, and Honoured Citizens,
Warm greetings to all of you on this momentous occasion — SayPro’s 2025 National Healthcare Decisions Day.
As the Chief Chancellor Officer of SayPro, it is both my duty and honour to speak not only from a position of leadership but from a place of deep respect — respect for every individual’s right to choose, to be heard, and to be treated with dignity in matters of health and life.
This day is more than a calendar event. It is a declaration — a powerful reminder that autonomy, consent, and human rights must be at the heart of every healthcare system, policy, and interaction. It is a call to leadership, to institutions, and to society to protect and uplift every person’s right to make informed, voluntary, and respected healthcare decisions.
At SayPro, we recognise that these rights do not exist in isolation. They are supported and defended by:
- Clear policies,
- Ethical governance,
- Accessible information,
- And most importantly, compassionate systems and people.
As Chancellor, I take pride in overseeing the alignment of SayPro’s governance, vision, and operations to our core values — values that centre humanity, inclusivity, and respect.
In 2025, our governance strategy for health decision empowerment has included:
- Strengthening institutional accountability mechanisms to ensure every voice matters
- Promoting ethical leadership in healthcare facilities and programmes
- Engaging religious, cultural, and traditional leaders to champion patient rights and informed consent
- And ensuring that the vulnerable — the elderly, youth, people living with disabilities — are not only included in the conversation but prioritised in it
Today, I invite us all to reflect:
- Are we building systems where people truly feel safe to make their own health choices?
- Are we removing the fear, stigma, and power imbalances that often silence decision-making?
- Are we training our leaders — at every level — to respect the sacredness of patient autonomy?
Let this day be more than a ceremony. Let it be a commitment.
A commitment to honour choices, even when they are difficult.
To listen deeply, especially when the stakes are high.
And to lead ethically, so that every healthcare decision is made with care, clarity, and courage.
Happy National Healthcare Decisions Day 2025.
May we, as leaders and citizens, carry this spirit forward — today, and every day.
Thank you.
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