LAST week a group of Emergency Department nurses gathered outside John Hunter Hospital (JHH) to rally against inaction by management to their plea for help.
A letter signed by 500 clinicians, including doctors, nurses and ambulance officers, had been presented to Michael DiRienzo (CEO of Hunter New England Health) pleading for help to provide safe staffing levels in an Emergency Department that is buckling under the strain of increasing presentations, high acuity and chronic understaffing. The response by management to the desperate appeal was one of ignorance and disregard, with Mr DiRienzo unable to take the time to acknowledge concerns, and for Leanne Johnson (JHH General Manager) to suggest they begin a lengthy and protracted undertaking with the Reasonable Workloads Committee.
Will hospital management and state governments ever learn that safe staffing saves lives? Is the recent and tragic loss of a child's life in a WA hospital ED not warning enough? It's time for those responsible for budgets to take some responsibility for the decisions they make.
As a nurse of over 40 years, I have seen the change in workloads, the increase in acuity and the reduction in staffing and budget. The Code of Conduct at JHH insists that we as clinicians have an obligation to speak up and advocate for our patients - to be a voice for those who rely on us to help. Well, Mr DiRienzo and Brad Hazzard, there are 500 voices screaming at you. It's time to listen.
Joanne Patterson, New Lambton
Stockton fix not long term
ONGOING sand nourishment may be a short term method of saving Stockton Beach. But it is not a long term solution. Since sand nourishment is not a permanent solution, and because more permanent solutions are expensive, it is little wonder that the NSW government has not made its report on Stockton Beach public, ('Sand the best option: council', Newcastle Herald, 11/12).
In the medium term, groynes, artificial headlands and artificial reefs would work better than sand nourishment. In the longer term, as sea level rises, say within 50 years, the whole of Stockton Peninsula will need to be built up or to become a Dutch 'polder', with permanent sea defences such as dykes, drainage canals, pumps and the like. If these things are considered to be too expensive or impractical, then parts of the peninsula will need to be periodically abandoned to the rising sea.
Geoff Black, Caves Beach
Global urea problem
MEDIA reports that Australia's - and for that matter the global - logistic industry is facing an imminent collapse as a result of China banning the export of urea in order to have it directed into fertilizer production, reducing the rising cost of fertilizer, highlights the need for the West to break its reliance on China.
For those wondering why urea is so important to the diesel-powered logistics industry, not to mention the farmers and even power generators, it relates to the environmental legislation aimed at reducing the emission of nitrogen dioxide emitted by diesel engines. This means that modern diesel engines require a supply of a urea-derived product called Adblue, which is automatically injected into its catalytic convertor to break down the nitrogen oxides before they are emitted.
Australia's trucking industry says that by February 2022 half their trucks could be off the road unless China reverses its position. But think what will be affected; supermarkets without food, farmers unable to grow crops and harvest them, let alone transport for export, no mining of any sort. Even Supercars will find transporting 1500 four-tonne concrete barriers to build the Newcastle 500 track impossible, as any remaining trucks still operating are likely to be directed to essential food transport, not car racing.
John Davies, Newcastle East
Republic stalemate
A CORRESPONDENT ('Our republic need not be theirs', Letters, 11/12) recently called for a pro-republic move where "... the president would be elected by the Parliament and would require substantial support from both government and opposition members to be chosen." Yet this was the very substance of John Howard's 1999 Referendum ( "... a President appointed by a two-thirds majority of the members of the Commonwealth Parliament") which failed to gain support.
The populace views politicians as being too self-serving to be trusted. Hence, we have an impasse: the pollies do not trust the hoi polloi; and the populace regards the politicians as too venal to be trusted. Hence, we have our ongoing stalemate.
David Rose, Hamilton
Reverse Games boycott
CAN someone please explain the Australian government's decision not to send an important representative to the forthcoming Olympic Games in China? Sport is sport! Give and take. Win or lose. A unification. A coming together of many countries' competitors. Think of Nelson Mandela. His actions, his decisions on football re racism. If anyone is "without sin, let him throw the first stone," comes to mind.
In many areas, Australia continues to conveniently forget many atrocities against other human beings in the past. Now the government has the power to show a leading example to other countries by attendance.
Colette Embe, Laurieton
Rallies show naivety
IN a letter encouraging vaccinations, NSW government Chief Health Officer Dr Kerry Chant said hospital Intensive Care Unit admissions and deaths peaked from September 8 to 21. Unvaccinated people were 16 times more likely to end up in intensive care during this period. Unvaccinated people with COVID-19 were 10 times higher during peak COVID cases between August 25 and September 7.
Anti-vaxxers and their conspiracy theories (often based on anti-semitism) that appeal to 'bodily autonomy' show naive complacency about the pandemic and its impact. Anti-vaxxers' claims that being 'healthy' confers natural immunity to COVID-19 is not supported by hospital admission statistics. There is little 'bodily autonomy' if you end up in ICU.
The far right are speaking at and organising anti-vax rallies that are normalising the idea of mass deaths being acceptable, especially the 'less healthy', disabled and vulnerable. Anti-vaxxer spiritualism sounds similar to Italian fascists mysticism of the 1930s ('faith without reason'). In contrast, Newcastle and the Hunter have a long history of social and community solidarity eg, worker rights, health and environmental issues. Anti-vaxxers' extreme individualism and hostility to public health measures against a global pandemic are no friends of frontline workers.
Kerry Vernon, New Lambton
SHORT TAKES
THE Jets were absolutely brilliant against Wellington and still have room for improvement. Things are looking pretty good if they carry on playing like that. A pleasure to watch! Go the Jets.
Mick Walker, Elermore Vale
GREAT results from both Jets teams. About time. Well done girls and boys.
Bill Slicer, Tighes Hill
I ONLY write my opinion to the Newcastle Herald for the chance of changing someone else's.
Dave Wilson, Bar Beach
I WONDER if someone can help me here. What is the difference in meaning between inoculation, immunisation and vaccination? Also, If one can be immunised, why can't one be vaccinised? The English language is very confusing.
Les Field, Wickham
COULDN'T agree more with you Brian Lizotte (Short takes, 10/12), Diesel definitely deserves a mention. But I think you might be a bit biased.
Matt Ophir, Charlestown
IN memoriam (Herald, 10/12), Don Lennox is remembered by me as well. I worked with him at Charlestown a number of times, late last century - a very nice bloke.
Bruce Jensen, New Lambton
PAUL Keating, Australia's greatest living former Prime Minister, describes Peter Dutton as "a dangerous personality". I, myself, find Peter Dutton has more front than a rat with a gold tooth. Dutton plays his fiddle of division to claim votes. As George Bernard Shaw once said: "He knows nothing, and he thinks he knows everything. That points clearly to a political career". Happy Christmas. Xie Xie.
Richard Ryan, Summerland Point
IT is great news indeed for the people of Australia that the Australian Energy Market Operator has unexpectedly announced it has a draft plan indicating it will be possible to phase out the use of coal for producing Australia's electricity by 2043. If this news does become a reality, it will enable Australia to hold its head high in relation to dealing with climate change in a positive manner and on a global scale.
Brian Measday, Myrtle Bank
THE Omicron variant has spread around the world to dozens of countries, seemingly overnight, when all overseas travellers are supposed to be fully vaccinated. Now they're telling us to get a booster to "stop it in its tracks", they can't be serious.
Steven Busch, Rathmines
FRED Whitaker (Letters, 11/12), your in-the-face rundown of ignored Newcastle magic makes it really bewildering, the destruction of Australia's top coastal rail destination. Sydney - a population of 5 million, $400 billion in GDP - has a growing number who want quick, short trips away, all laid on, now lost. Trains should have been brought up to standard for this magic.
