On April 3 I wrote to the DHB customer relations officer in frustration after being asked by a senior employee to call her back re an appointment. I did this on numerous occasions between 11am and 3pm; she did not reply at all!
I did receive an apology letter from customer relations on May 2. However, I would have preferred a phone call from the person concerned, apologising for the waste of my whole day!
Answerphones that are not answered are a real annoyance.
FIONA DONNE
Aramoho
Improve palliative care
In response to D Partner (June 19):
As the current law stands, one is allowed to commit suicide in NZ. I do wish you lot would differentiate between you choosing to end your life and making someone else end it for you.
I find it insulting that you suggest people choosing to let nature take its course are not choosing a "dignified" end. I work with the sick and elderly and I beg to differ.
I also believe that palliative care needs to be drastically improved. It is not failing in areas because of lack of goodwill, but through lack of resources and education. People who choose to access it should be given top quality care. I feel the pro-euthanasia movement detracts from that, draining energy, time and minds that could otherwise be put to good use.
I do not endorse suicide at all, but I do not understand why many choose to pretend the option is denied to you. Can we please put more effort into the delivery of quality palliative care and see how that fares before we beg for assisted suicide?
I wonder how you would react were you one of the "innocent" casualties you speak of.
MELINDA BOLTON
Castleliff
Fluoride benefits
Maybe Mr Baum (letters, June 22) should read the 2016 Petersen Paper, which states that the one of the reasons for dental decay is sugars and lack of fluoride. WHO 2016 also states that fluoride is a major breakthrough in public health.
The Hazcam 6 warning that Mr Baum quotes has nothing to do with the fluoride added to drinking water. This is controlled by international purity standards for all contaminates. The Hazcam warning is a normal practice for transport of all sorts of items. Flour included. And you don't stop eating bread.
The recent Australian and New Zealand Nutrient Reference Values for fluoride state that there is no danger from making baby formula with Community Fluoridated Water.
The reason for a recommendation for children not to use fluoride toothpaste is it has 1200-1500 times the fluoride as CFW, and it can cause mild fluorosis if swallowed.
As Kumar et al have demonstrated, mildly fluorosed teeth are more decay resistant — this effect is considered by many to not even be undesirable, much less adverse.
Compare this to the black discolouration, extreme pain and life-threatening infection of untreated dental decay.
C PRICE
Palmerston North
Swamp gas wafts over
It has wafted all the way across the Pacific ocean to the Whanganui Chronicle. Swamp Gas carrying all of that anti-Trump bias from the Washington swamp.
Emotional blackmail with children being subjected to policies of previous presidents being attributed to President Trump.
One would have to be a bit dim to believe it all. And a hell of a lot more. Oh well, time will tell.
Will America be great again? All of our lives may, or may not depend on the outcome of all that. But while some say that the present POTUS is an idiot, I think he is a lot smarter than all of his critics.
POTONGA NEILSON
Castlecliff
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