IT'S become a heated matter over the compulsory requirement of Waikato DHB to require its staff to have flu jabs, or wear masks. Someone's already been dismissed over it, while three people have been identified as "non-compliant" and could face further disciplinary action.
I've spoken to people who are quite adamant they'd never bother with the flu jab, usually on the grounds that "they never get the flu", or believe that the lack of medication makes the body more resistant. These are ordinary people, and that is their choice. They may never see the logic of flu jabs, right up to the point they end up coughing their lungs out in bed. It is tricky because people can regard the flu jab as invasive. But I would firstly expect medical staff to know better than the uninformed public, and I would also expect hospital personnel to set an example to the public.
If I go to a dentist, I expect to see someone with near-perfect teeth. Sure, a dentist has a business to run, and having outstanding choppers is part of the promotion. But there is also the basic concept: I practise what I preach. And people pay attention to surface details, like the urban myth that only fat chefs are good chefs. In fact, you want the thin chef, the guy who's working double shifts and collapses in bed after wolfing down baked beans on toast.
Would you accept weight training or fitness advice from a tubby trainer? This could equally apply to overweight medical practitioners. A bit cruel, perhaps, but right now we are being bombarded with eat healthy and avoid sugar messages. Acronyms like body mass index are being shoved in our faces. We.Must.Do.Better. Well, I'd be prepared to take that from a doctor or nurse who glowed good health.
Employees would argue that your ability to do your job has no relation on what medical regime you follow - or don't follow. I would argue that it's difficult to advise a patient on healthy living if your own body, and your mindset, isn't in the game.
Hospital staff taking flu jabs demonstrates to me they believe, 100 per cent, in the importance of vaccination. If they don't get vaccinated, it means they don't endorse it. And that is the wrong attitude to have.