Sir, – Whilst it may seem wrong to criticise Fife Health Board during the current pandemic, it is though right to be critical over the current fiasco regarding flu jab appointments (Fifers may wait weeks for flu jabs chaos to be fixed, Courier, October 1).
To send out 75,000 letters to the over-65s in one go, take on eight call handlers and expect the replies to come in at 12,000 per week – that would take six weeks – is just plain daft.
Thousands phoned in and emailed, swamping the system.
Very few seem to know when or where they will get the jabs.
Tricia Marwick, chairwoman of NHS Fife, states that “the board will carry out a full examination of what went wrong and would learn lessons”.
We do not need expensive inquiries to find out the obvious – lack of common sense and proper planning.
Presumably Fife NHS pays some good salaries to senior people. Perhaps they should reflect upon where the blame lies.
My wife and I both received the flu jab letters.
After several tries at phoning, and some emails, we still have no response.
An email to our MSP resulted in an instant response from him.
Pressure from him, we hope, may help persuade NHS Fife to sort out their planning.
Andrew F. Gilmour.
Montrave Home Farm, Leven.
Time for a united front in government
Sir, – Democracy is a fine and noble thing, but at times of catastrophic national trauma, like our current Covid-19 outbreak, we, the public, need to hear parliamentarians speaking with a united voice.
Surely we should form a temporary united front in the form of a coalition government that could be stood down and returned to a normal “party” state once a vaccine allows for normality to reign once again.
Churchill’s Coalition Government during the Second World War was what was needed then and I suggest that perhaps a temporary arrangement might be brought into being so that thoughts from all sides can be added to the specialist health information being produced by the current ruling party.
Archibald A. Lawrie.
Church Wynd, Kingskettle.
Economists, ethicists and public need say
Sir, – Covid-19 is not a purely scientific problem – it’s a wicked, multi-discipline dilemma in which jobs, freedoms and health are traded against each other.
The opinions of scientists and medical researchers like Whitty and Vallance are of no special value when acceptable solutions are ill-defined.
Economists, ethicists and the wider public need a greater say.
Both the virus and our attempts to tackle it cause harm and must be balanced.
Whether New Zealand’s approach is “better” than that of Sweden is as much a cultural and social debate as scientific.
But the key question is: Should our economy, education and treatment of dreaded diseases like cancer be wrecked to keep the elderly like me alive a little longer?
Rev Dr John Cameron.
Howard Place, St Andrews.
Council should have supported city gym
Sir, – It is with some surprise and disappointment that I read about the SweatBox gym being
knocked back by the council’s local review body (Council committee shatters Dundee gym owners’ dreams, Courier, September 17).
In a city that claims to promote good health and fitness and claims to combat obesity, this is a project that should have received the council’s support.
In a year that will see many established businesses fail it is disgraceful that it was not encouraged. As well as healthy adults, Sheli and Sam train children, particularly those with special needs.
Sheli, who represents Scotland in weightlifting, also runs educational classes and has a clinic running remedial sessions for sports injuries.
A precedent certainly had been set with a number of non-industrial businesses in the area and this gym will complement all the other businesses.
May I suggest the council’s local review body reconsiders its decision.
Mike McWilliam.
Hillside Road, Dundee.
