I’ve been avoiding thinking on this let alone saying anything here because I simply am sickened to the very depths of myself over it. What will it take to keep our little people, the future of ourselves from the pointless and atrocious harm that little Nia has suffered? It’s exactly this type of sick behaviour that the Anti-Smacking bill was “supposed” to end…. yeah right. These animals were never going to care what kind of law they were breaking so exactly how was the anti-smacking bill going to make them think twice? Where is Sue Bradford on this matter now?

And as for just pointing out that it is the maori children who suffer in this way and therefore that community needs to step up…. Well, maori, dutch, croatian, islander, or just plain kiwi – this was a little New Zealander who has just had any potential she may have held screwed up severely by “people” who just plain should know better. I don’t care what community this occurs in, it happens here in New Zealand. The place we think is so great to bring our kids up in.

Heaven help us all if we can’t save our little ones.

… Thought not! This is what I was attempting to prepare for the family last night. Why else would I have attempted to slice my finger along with the rhubarb?

It was a pretty deep cut and I thought it might have needed a stitch or two as it was still bleeding an hour and a half later. Once DH was home, I took myself down to the A&E. To sit for about 30 minutes before I got to speak to the triage nurse. What is wrong with our health system? I saw people come in after me with dislocated shoulders, a possible miscarriage and several other nasty injuries. Like me, they had to fill out a form and wait for the single triage nurse available.

Now, I don’t like to waste time and I did think that in the grand scheme of things that my wee injury was probably minor. But as I was still bleeding, I didn’t want to take the risk that it might have been more serious than I realised. So I waited. The triage nurse was lovely when I got to see her – by this time the bleeding had finally stopped. She said I did need stitches , but unless I wanted to hang around for upwards of 6 hours I might be better to go to the afterhours. I thought that that was not a plan for me – I don’t think 2 stitches warrents a 6 hour wait, so I went and paid the phenomenal charges – for two steri strips. Sigh!

All along though I felt guilty for sitting in line potentially taking up space for someone more urgent that me. But then I’m not trained to know minor from something a little mroe serious and we pay our taxes like anyone else so why shouldn’t I receive the care? Our health system – it’s a big debate. And the last thing I want to do is slag off those at the coalface. I think those people are doing by and large a wonderful job in a system which grinds them down as much as the recipients.

It’s not the first time we have encountered our health system. Our Mr 3 needed an operation that was classified “semi-urgent” (ie to be done within 6 months) but after being paperworked to a “routine” classification without further consultation, we finally got it sorted 18 months later. This was after multiple phone calls, letters, calls to the minister’s office, calls to our local MP, almost a call to Fair Go. We were desperate to just get it sorted. The most frustrating thing was that there were the resources (thatis, the money, the nurses, the surgeon etc). What the surgeon couldn’t get was time in theatre. What the….??

Look, I could go on for endless hours about the short comings of the system that we have encountered on a personal level. I know that it, and education, are the sort of pits that will take all the money you can throw at it and still do with more. But come on – there must be a solution. And I believe it is a solution that must be sorted from on high – with the people within the system having their input. Unfortunately I don’t have the answers. But I do believe in a country such as ours we  should not put up with a third world system that seems to be in place right now.

On a forum I’m on, someone popped up this warning that Tara Whitney popped on her blog. Good on her for making it known and *out there*!

I find it scary that people with the tech knowledge are so caught up in the “Hey, this would be cool” moment that they haven’t thought through the consequences. I doubt it applies to anyone outside the US, but give it time, it probably will.

I say let’s step up and make it known that this has serious implications and they should re-think the concept… A LOT!!