Sponsored by
Stability and harmony are now the key issues
From: Dr Mohammed Ali, chief executive, QED-UK, Quest House, Manningham Lane, Bradford. THERE are almost a million people living in Britain who originate from Pakistan. For obvious reasons, we keep a close eye on what happens there economically, socially and politically.
How Pakistan is perceived by the outside world has huge implications for both the social and economic advancement of all members of this community in the UK.
We sincerely hope that President Pervez Musharraf's departure opens a fresh chapter for a proud and emerging nation and that it can signal a new era of peace and stability. This is vital. The new people at the helm must now get on with the important and challenging job of governing a country beset by huge social, health and economic hurdles. They must tackle poverty, which according to a recent Asian Development Bank report, is now actually worse than it was 10 years ago.
Food inflation running at 20 per cent is causing extreme hardship, especially for the old, the young and the vulnerable. Malnutrition is a major enemy. The figures speak for themselves. Last year it caused the deaths of 420,000 children under five. According to
Unicef, 38 per cent of all children are underweight, 37 per cent are stunted and 13 per cent are wasted.
Unemployment among the young is catastrophically high. Inflation is running at a crippling 25 per cent and the list goes on.
Add to that a humanitarian crisis unfolding in Baujaur on the Pakistan-Afghanistan border. Fighting between the Pakistani army and militants has caused "a human tide" of more than 200,000 people in recent weeks with the provincial government setting up refugee camps for tens of thousands.
As members of the British Pakistani community, we are always anxious and eager to help Pakistan in any positive ways we can, even though
we are separated by thousands of miles.
While each of us has individual ideas, hopes and fears for the country's future, the one sentiment which unites each and every one of us is our over-riding wish for lasting political stability and lasting harmony.
Totting up the tally of Olympic golds
From: Terry Duncan, Greame Road, Bridlington.
CONGRATULATIONS to the individuals who have, through their own efforts, won golds in the Chinese Olympics. Each deserves the medals for their dedication over many years.
But, is not the table of gold medals won not misleading? For instance, in team events, up to four medals could be awarded for just one win.
However, another country's tally of golds could be greater for individuals winning their events, which I believe is a greater honour.
From: David Quarrie, Lynden Way, Acomb, York.
WITH all the great success of Team GB at this year's Olympics, wouldn't it be nice if Labour, the Conservatives and the Liberal Democrats all admitted how wrong they have been over sport. Since about 1958 they have all been anti-sport in one way or another.
They have sold off school playing fields, cut down the amount of time in schools devoted to sport and games, and come out with crass remarks like "it is the taking part that matters", "there should not be winners and losers", "competition is bad" and "there is not much interest in minority sports". The politically correct brigade have been proved utterly wrong.
Sport has very few negatives, and amateur sportspeople can go on playing games like bowls, riding, swimming, hockey, cricket, sailing, badminton, shooting, well into their 50s. I still play hockey, aged 62.
At last, things are looking better for London 2012 and "our" Olympics.
Shroud-waving hypocrisy by Tory health chief
From: Coun Sandy Fraser (Labour, Micklegate Ward) and Governor of York Hospitals Foundation Trust, Millfield Road, York.
What an irresponsible and hypocritical piece of shroud-waving on the part of the Tories' national spokesman on health, Shadow Health Secretary Andrew Lansley ("Named but not shamed", Yorkshire Post, August 11).
Your feature writer, Sarah Freeman, is to be congratulated on exposing this blatant piece of opportunistic politicking on the part of what used to be an honourable, albeit usually misguided, party.
Mr Lansley should remember that it was his governments, during the 1980s and '90s, that forced hospitals to bring in private cleaning contractors, leaving our hospitals filthy and costing countless health workers' jobs.
As Alison Hughes, director of facilities at York Hospital, points out in the article, the cleaning of the hospital has improved considerably since the trust reversed this particular piece of Tory dogma by bringing the cleaning back in-house.
Instead of rubbishing the efforts of today's hospital workers and managers, and scaring patients and their carers who rely on York's hospitals for their healthcare, Mr Lansley and his cohorts should instead recognise the dramatic improvements that have been made to
our health services over the last decade or so, with much-reduced waiting times, and a massive real increase in investment in hospital buildings and new treatments.
I call on local York Tories – their councillors, prospective parliamentary candidates, and the York Conservative Association – to publicly disown their Shadow Minister and his campaign, and instead congratulate York's honest and hard-working healthworkers and managers, who do such a good job of maintaining our health services.Home choice needed for dialysis
From: Sam Addie, Dialysis Options, Kirkgate Arcade, Otley, Leeds.
ONCE again, it is the most vulnerable that are being hit by a deterioration in performance for a service that is invaluable to their quality of life ("Kidney patients attack misery of transport delays", Yorkshire Post, August 15).
This time it is dialysis patients in Yorkshire who are calling for improvements to be made to the ambulance service ferrying them to hospital for vital treatment.
Life on dialysis is hard, but there are ways to improve quality of life for kidney patients by providing local kidney services and allowing patients the option of home treatment.
There are more than 6,200 people waiting for a kidney transplant, an annual increase of eight per cent, with just over 2,000 patients being lucky enough to receive one this year. There are 43,901 people in the UK receiving RRT according to the most recent Renal Registry Report. Although the majority of these will be eligible for a kidney transplant in the future, while they are waiting they have only two choices – hospital or home-based dialysis.
Health policy relating to the care of patients advocates delivering care closer to the patient's home. With dialysis capacity issues and a focus on patient choice, shouldn't more patients be able to choose a home-based treatment?
From: Paul Taylor, Leeds General Infirmary and St James's Kidney Patients Association.
I WOULD like to respond to some of the comments made in your recent article "Kidney patients attack misery of transport delays".
The Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust say that the service has generally been working well, but they are not the ones that are affected by the lack of continuity that patients face, lengthy journeys to dialysis, delays in starting their treatment, the long waits for transport home and the constant worry/uncertainty of what time their transport will turn up, if at all.
Sarah Fatchett, interim operations director of Yorkshire Ambulance Services (YAS) has "admitted some patients experienced difficulties" and that efforts were being made to sort them out.
YAS has been trying to sort them out ever since they were awarded the contract 18 months ago, with little success, and I eagerly wait to hear how they intend to implement such plans.
Renal patients receive their treatment three times a week, every week at the same time apart from any holidays taken and Christmas week where the days are altered to take Christmas Day into account – these are constant so why can't the transport be as well?
The solution is simple. Use dedicated renal drivers day in and day out and let them sort out which patients can travel together and when. They are the ones who know the areas patients live in and the times they are ready. No, YAS insist on using different planners sitting in front of a computer in Wakefield who have no knowledge of the local area
or the patients.
Such is the inability of YAS to provide a decent service that on one occasion they brought one patient in for treatment to the wrong unit on the wrong day, and left her there.
The majority of these patients are elderly and all they want to do is receive their treatment in a timely fashion and get home in the same timely fashion; but because of the delays in transport, among other issues, they have to face, what should be a half day visit to hospital for life-saving treatment, is turning out to be a full day.
Remember, this dialysis treatment is three times a week, every week come hail, rain, sun, sleet or snow for the rest of their lives unless a suitable transplant becomes available.
Guiding light for sheep lovers
From: Norma Elliott, Peaseland Road, Cleckheaton.
IT WAS most interesting to read the article, "Ewe are on a winner" (Yorkshire Post, August 11) and to see the photograph of the the author, Jack Byard, with his book, Know Your Sheep.
In July, while on holiday in Cockermouth, Cumbria, and being a lover of sheep, I visited the Lakeland Sheep and Wool Visitor Centre where I purchased the said book, which is really interesting with lovely pictures and good information.
I certainly didn't realise that there were so many different breeds of sheep. Now I am looking forward to the next guide, due out in spring.
Best wishes to Mr Byard with the sale of all his guides.
Measles can be a killer
From: Jean Bateson, Kaye Lane, Almondbury, Huddersfield.
BERYL Pearson and her siblings were very fortunate to have survived measles with no side-effects (Yorkshire Post,
August 19).
It is a terrible disease and the side-effects can lead to life-long problems and/or death, as happened to my sister at the age of seven.
Measles has not changed but immunisation has protected children from this awful disease and I plead with any mother reading this to have their child immunised.
Bishop's fight for fair trade
From: Michael McGowan, Chapel Allerton, Leeds.
WITH reference to your obituary of David Young, the former Bishop of Ripon (Yorkshire Post, August 16), it deserves a mention that his support for the developing world and for fair trade was important in helping to mobilise local faith, education, and business communities which eventually led to Leeds becoming a Fair Trade City with all-party support on Leeds City Council.
It's the coal we need
From: M Swan, East Causeway Crescent, Leeds.
THE letter from T Whapplington (Yorkshire Post, August 16) partially echoes my views.
It is continually reported that UK Coal, or, some other company that owns what used to be the NCB pits and their surrounding areas, has plans to, or will redevelop, pit sites as trading estates or housing estates (Yorkshire Post, August 19).
Now, the country needs both. But it also needs even more, what is below these areas – coal.
It will be much better to use these reserves rather than depend upon imported coal, especially from unstable areas.
Tweak at your peril
From: Nigel Metcalfe, Whitefields Gate, Richmond.
HAVING just read Bernard Dineen's piece (Yorkshire Post, August 18) I couldn't agree more. You tweak the big bear's tail at your peril.
Email to a friend
Print this page- Leeds lose Ward to Palace: Is there anyone they can afford now?
- Sheffield Wednesday leaving it late to hijack Leeds United over Ward
- As Snodgrass dithers over Leeds, Warnock throws a lifeline
- Ball is in Leeds United’s court over contract - Snodgrass
- Police turning blind eye to Asian voter fraud, says MP
Looking for...
Featured advertisers
Jobs
Search for a job
Motors
Search for a car
Property
Search for a house
Weather for Yorkshire
Saturday 26 May 2012
Today
Sunny
Temperature: 9 C to 21 C
Wind Speed: 17 mph
Wind direction: East
Tomorrow
Sunny
Temperature: 9 C to 22 C
Wind Speed: 13 mph
Wind direction: East
