There is no one in any walk of life – business, government, or otherwise – who has succeeded without facing setbacks or learning from mistakes along the way. Progress requires effort, trial, and sometimes error. It is through giving things a go that real advancement happens.
Let’s allow our leaders the space to try new ideas, acknowledge their challenges and trust that progress is a process, not an instantaneous achievement.
Alan Walker, St Heliers.
Expat healthcare
I read columnist Bruce Cotterill’s comments on our health system (Weekend Herald, December 7) with interest and total agreement. I live several months each year in Nevsehir, a small town in central Turkey. At the local hospital, the service is excellent. As foreigners, we are full-paying visitors.
I make a point now of getting an annual check-up at the local hospital. My experience in September was typical of previous visits. At a cost equal to $11, I arrived unannounced at 9am and was given a reservation number. After a 30-minute wait, I was seen and sent for a blood test, cardiac test and chest X-ray (an additional cost of $15). By 11am, I was back in front of the GP, who at that stage had all the results in front of him on his computer. He was able to prescribe my medicines and send me on my way two hours after my arrival. What a saving in time and energy compared to New Zealand’s system.
Second example. In May this year, I went to the same hospital suffering from excruciating pain from a long-time hip problem. I was seen by the GP and taken down to an orthopedic surgeon in the same hospital that day. Several tests and six days later I was admitted and given a new hip joint, cost equivalent to $8000. That included six nights in hospital and all medications. Result: a very satisfied patient.
All this is available in a “Third-World country”. Part of the solution, I feel, is the streamlining of all the processes.
Will Menzies, Waiheke Island.
Free-range fallacies
For decades, I have bought free-range eggs for animal welfare reasons, but the recent outbreak of H7N6 at the Mainland Poultry farm highlights the intensity of free-range egg production.
With each shed housing 40,000 hens, with limited access to a small outside area of bare earth/grass, it isn’t quite the romantic picture depicted on the side of the egg carton. It certainly raises a few questions about what “free range” is and whether such large flock sizes are sustainable or ethical, especially given the speed with which viruses can spread.
Alison Feeney, Remuera.
Strait solution
The announcement that there is a possible (albeit temporary) loss of the single rail network between the North Island and the South Island for the first time in over 70 years, due to the lack of suitable replacement vessels, is disturbing.
However, it could be a great opportunity for an entrepreneur to fill the gap. Open up applications for guaranteed slots to operate qualified rail-capable ferries using the existing landside facilities for a minimum period of say, five years, and kei reira koe – temporary problem solved.
Larry Tompkins, Waiuku.
Multibillion-dollar difference
Correspondent Wendy Galloway (NZ Herald, December 10) laments the fact that the Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris was rebuilt in five years, but Christ Church Cathedral remains in ruins after 15 years.
Notre Dame is a national and international icon that attracted multibillions of dollars for its rebuild. Christ Church is a building that served the local community, who seemed – with all the other earthquake expenses – generally unwilling to spend money on its expensive rebuild. Simple really.
Hylton Le Grice, Remuera.
