'Alarmist' headline totally unnecessary
We refer to your story on the front page of Hawke's Bay Today, Wednesday 29 February.
The alarmist headline does not reflect reality and we are deeply concerned it will create undue anxiety for a number of our patients.
As the chief medical officers of the hospital and primary care, patients can be assured there is no change to essential services provided through the ear, nose and throat service.
The ENT service is one surgeon down but is actively recruiting for a full time surgeon and will be interviewing for a replacement in mid March. The DHB expects the service to be back to a full contingent by the later part of the year. In the meantime, we have a very good working relationship and contract in place with Royston Hospital and are working with our regional colleagues. It is worth noting the DHB has exceeded the 100 per cent target set by Government by 7 per cent, which means about 200 more patients had elective surgery in the last six months than was planned.
Headlines such as which fronted this story are unjust, inaccurate and cause unnecessary anxiety for patients.
Dr John Gommans Chief Medical Officer (Hospital)
Dr Peter Foley Chief Medical Officer (Primary Care) Napier GP
Editor's note: HB Today stands by its headline and story.
TV's shocking bias
"Jesus heals cancer claim appals family" - I have to say that the Campbell Live article was a shocking bias towards assuming that NZ's society is an atheistic one and that if you have any form of "faith" you are not "sensible", as implied by the women John interviewed last night.
I am an agnostic atheist and also a parent of a young child and I am very sorry that the Condin family are living a parent's worst nightmare. However, notwithstanding this, I am compelled to ask what if the interview on TV last night and the article in the paper had read "Church gives hope to six families dealing with cancer"?
The honest truth is that it doesn't matter how the "healed" patients of cancer perceive how they were healed, what matters is how they as individuals have coped with the trauma they have lived through. Some place their hope in science, some in religious faith and some in philosophy. I believe our individual beliefs are sacrosanct and that if Equippers Church wishes to let people know they believe there is an additional source of hope, then this is theirs to express.
That people find it offensive is natural, but it also presents a moral dilemma as while doing good for some, it causes outrage for others. I would simply like to acknowledge that we live in a multicultural, secular society and that to condemn anyone's belief system as I believe has been in this example, it sets a precedence of religious, cultural and personal belief intolerance and this cannot be allowed.
I appreciate that the point expressed is worry that the church is presenting an alternate to medical help; however, it would be safe to assume that all religious people would be consulting medical care as well as their faith based care should they be in the same position.
Richard Corney, Napier
You have our support
With regards to the article written in HB Today 25/02/12 "Team Unfit To Go" I am writing on behalf of and with total support from the parents of the HB Under 15s Mixed Touch Team that have been pulled from attending the National Junior Touch Tournament held in Nelson in early March of this year.
The reasons or issues why this is so, are rather vague but according to the president of Touch Hawke's Bay Zane Johnson there are three and I am going to reply to these unfounded reasons as follows.
Reason No 1: Charles Wynyard and Layton Dunn are not good role models.
Parents Reply: We as the parents whole heartedly and without reservation or hesitation would like to rebuke any such comments or talk concerning our two coaches not being good role models as they have always been nothing but exemplary coaches towards our rangatahi and have always gone beyond their duties on and off the field for this team for the past 2 years.
Reason No 2: Team and Parental Intimidation toward THB officials Parent Reply: Totally untrue and unfounded in fact quite the opposite we simply choose never to engage in that kind of behaviour and besides don't we actually have to know who these people are that we supposedly have so much power over according to Zane Johnson.
Reason No 3: Not meeting financial time line commitments.
Parent Reply: We have always met our financial commitments towards our team trip to Nelson but have constantly questioned why the costs have to be so high per player ie:travel, transport, accommodation, uniforms, tournament fees, team analyst, referees costs etc.
We know the tournament fee is a set cost but anyway we could, we would try to look for better and affordable deals concerning the above.
We have three sets of brothers and sisters in this team so it was paramount that it be affordable for all of us to go.
Donna Keefe Havelock North
'The twinkling fires dotted north and south as far as Te Awanga was magical.'