Some people perceive the bright Christian holidays as a time for a short vacation. This is not the case for people employed in medical institutions, who must often work hard during weekends and holidays.

"Faith in the Lord is what gives me physical and mental strength to go through the struggle for someone's life. It is not easy to see the pain of people, but there is also joy when you see the gratitude of those whom you helped," 50-year-old nurse Kalina Miteva says. She has been working in the emergency department of Hristo Botev Hospital in Vratsa since its establishment 13 years ago.

In an interview with the Bulgarian National Radio on the occasion of the Easter holidays, the nurse from Vratsa said that the relations between the medical staff and the patients in Bulgaria vary from "Hosanna!" to "Crucify Him!" There are still many patients who are aggressive and threaten doctors, she says.

"But as the Lord has told us, 'Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy,’ therefore I do my best to keep to this principle. Our work in the Emergency requires us to be merciful and focused in order to fulfill our duty. But my faith in the Lord and the Holy Trinity gives me extraordinary strength, so that I am able to endure the hardships in the profession all these years."

Interview: Iva Antonova, BNR- "Horizont"

Editor: Gergana Mancheva

English: Alexander Markov