Good to see a letter to the editor on Monday from Dorothy Williams praising the staff at the Nambour General Hospital; and then to read on Tuesday the personal experience of the Daily’s Kathy Sundstrom, who had nothing but praise for the attention she and her baby girl received at emergency and in the wards.

Whatever the extent and the cause of the admission and overcrowding problems that have been getting so much publicity, much to the irritation of health minister Stephen Robertson’s sensitive political skin, I hear and read little but praise for the staff, as opposed to the system.

And I don’t mean just in recent weeks.

Having edited the Daily’s letters page for many years, I cannot recall more than a handful of negative comments from patients, whereas grateful letters of praise for the skill and care of the medical and nursing staff were so numerous that I had no chance of publishing more than a selection of them.

It is worth remembering, when reading the latest report about a hospital in crisis, that the professionals at Nambour General continue to do their best to help patients in crisis, and in the process make them feel they are cared for, as well as cared about.

So thanks, Dorothy and Kathy for reminding us that NGH is a great hospital, made so not by its buildings, its beds or its bureaucracy, but by its doctors, nurses and supporting staff who do their best for sick and injured people, day in, day out.

Children and the media

Much loved children’s writer Mem Fox has copped a bit of stick for suggesting that sending very young children into full-time child care is a form of child abuse, so I suppose you could say she’s the victim of … wait for it …author abuse.

I have neither the knowledge nor the experience to express a view on the controversy, but I’m interested in the word that kicked it off.

A funny noun, ‘abuse’. Funny peculiar, that is.

Definitely not funny ha-ha.

It can mean anything from a vocal offensive directed at a driver who changes lanes without signalling, to the inappropriate use of a workplace credit card, to a heinous criminal offence against a child.

I have however, a particular concern about a form of what I call passive child abuse.

As regular readers of this column would know, I have railed for years about the way in which children are exposed to media messages that push them into premature adulthood and sexuality.

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: Childhood is so brief, so precious. Don’t let us rob our children of it.

And Another Thing

Rain on the roof – is there a better sound?
Now that I’ve reached the end of this column, I going to turn off the computer,
make myself a coffee, settle into a comfy chair and listen to nature’s music.

Wet or dry, have a good weekend.

rich.29@bigpond.net.au