We must not treat sick patients this poorly

IT is both a cruel and a silly mistake to place radiation oncology services in a different building to Dunedin Hospital and its cancer ward (ODT, 5.10.19).

There are always some radiation patients so sick from side effects that they need hospital care to get through five or six weeks’ treatment, and thus keep their chance of surviving cancer. They require inward supervision by their radiation oncologist — who should not be based in some distant spot.

Some can walk to radiation treatment if it’s in the same building. Others will be carried there five times a week, on their bed, or a wheelchair.

The Southern Partnership Group chairman says this involves only a ‘‘small number’’ — he thinks two or three patients a week. I suspect that figure is conservative, but it still equals very sick cancer patients being wheeled through the streets of Dunedin maybe 15 times a week?

These people aren’t doomed. They are in hospital with a fighting chance.

Next piece of thoughtful planning: we provide the poor sods with raincoats and tricycles to continue their battle. John Lapsley

Arrowtown

UPON reading the article in the Otago Daily Times (5.10.19), as a past patient of the oncology department, I have to say that not including the department in the new hospital build is unbelievable.

The information supplied to Pete Hodgson apparently was completely untrue, and the people at ‘‘the coal face’’ have no reason to deviate from the facts.

The existing building is a fine, notsoold building, and furthermore, the ward block building, being completed in 1981, is not that old either. I remember it being built while I worked at the medical school.

To be spending so much money and finishing up with a disjointed operation beggars belief.

With the utmost respect, I would suggest the powers that be get their information from a much more reliable source.

I hope this is not the beginning of a series of inaccuracies.

Bob Newbury

Brockville

Cook’s 250th

WHAT do New Zealand Maori want? You can read any news platform and there are many groups complaining on a large range of topics.

One of the latest is the protest during the celebrations marking 250 years since the arrival of Captain Cook.

Yes, it is a celebration. This great explorer is responsible for the outstanding country we have today, and while there were obviously wrongs done along the way, this was the world back then.

What would New Zealand look like if the French or the Dutch had settled here? We would have a very different Aotearoa and one that may not be as diverse and accommodating as the one we have today.

Would Maori take an old saying and put it into practice — let bygones be bygones. Goodness knows, 250 years is a long time to hold a grudge.

Jamie Pickford

Central Otago

Local elections

EIGHT out of 37 candidates running for council in Dunedin were women. Of the 14 councillors elected, five were women.

Prof Hayward (ODT, 14.10.19) describes this as a ‘‘strong trend towards gender equality’’.

I would say this is rather an indication of gender favouritism, unless those five happened to be considered better candidates regardless of gender considerations.

Other factors being equal, to achieve equality of outcome in gender distribution when only eight of 37 candidates are of one particular gender requires active discrimination.

Malcolm MoncriefSpittle

Dunedin