Eddie Mann, Remuera.
Lifesaver bracelet
The case of Kate McCombs in respect to her life-saving MedicAlert bracelet highlights some real and actually very scary inadequacies in our health system (Feb 10).
It was reported that there were ongoing errors with her NHI number despite her potentially being exposed to life-threatening allergy conditions and that these errors had prevented a hospital team getting access at a crucial time to that urgently needed information.
Her MedicAlert bracelet luckily turned out to be a lifesaver. A bracelet no doubt is very valuable to first responders but when incorrect information limits a hospital team’s response then surely that needs to be remedied immediately.
How many other such cases like this are out there and surely any data with respect to life-threatening conditions should be linked to a patient’s NHI number, which is both correct and readily accessible to any professional medical people.
Paul Beck, West Harbour.
Bank branch closures
I rang up the ASB Bank hotline for seniors to inquire when the Smales Farm branch would have staff attending. The automatic computer answering machine informed me that the branch had been closed in December and they only had ATM machines.
The nearest to it, they suggested, was at Takapuna. Thanks to Auckland Council the parking there is terrible.
Not so many years ago there used to be ASB branches at Milford, Northcote and Smales Farm. Now they are all closed, and although there may be ATM machines scattered around, one can only get $20 and $50 notes from them. To turn these into smaller notes, or to make personal inquiries with a teller, is now hopeless.
The ASB, once the Auckland Savings Bank, was sold off to one of the Australian banks, and while it is happy to send billions of dollars in profits back to its offshore shareholders, it is also happy to close down as many local branches in New Zealand to also assist its profits. Perhaps the Government should not be so concerned about attracting multimillionaire oligarchs for its crony economy but consider the needs of ordinary people on wages and salaries.
Is the current Government going to make sure it doesn’t repeat the previous National administration’s mistakes in its pursuit of money, money, money?
As an ordinary taxpayer I would prefer to have an accessible banking system available in Auckland now.
David Speary, Northcote.
Direction question
The question in the 1News-Verian political poll as to whether the country is heading in the right direction is almost meaningless (Feb 11). It depends entirely on the respondent’s focus at the time. Is it the economy, law and order, Treaty issues, trade, unemployment, cost of living, education etc? As for leadership, consider New Zealand’s current talks with the US and Europe. Who would seriously choose Chris Hipkins and Rawiri Waititi over Christopher Luxon and Winston Peters?
David Howard, Pakūranga.
Publicity junkie
David Seymour has become a publicity junkie for all the wrong reasons as he tries to upstage the Prime Minister and Deputy PM in advance of his taking the latter’s role at the end of May. He relishes any and all publicity, good or bad, as long as his face is constantly seen on news sites. Not accepting that as an MP he crossed the line interfering with a police murder investigation, his arrogance representing only 9% of voters knows no bounds. Does New Zealand deserve a person who has created division and angst in society with his Treaty bill standing in as Prime Minister on occasions? I think not.
Coralie van Camp, Remuera.
New holiday
Correspondent Bruce Eliott proposes a new holiday to be called “Thanksgiving Day” or “National Unity” (Feb 10). He rightly concedes that the country cannot afford another statutory holiday, which means we’ll need to retire an existing one. I suggest January 2 fits this bill. My diary informs me that Australians only require one day to recover from New Year’s Eve revelry. What does it say about us that we require two?
Doug Hannan, Mount Maunganui.
