For the past two weeks citizens have viewed harrowing pictures of the death and destruction wreaked by the Victorian bushfires. At the same time they must wonder when we will suffer a similar fate from the magnificent forests cascading down from the escarpment to the coastal plain.
It is not a matter of " if " the escarpment forests will burn. It is simply a matter of " when " - and all it will take is the right weather conditions - the right fierce winds - and a spark !
What is almost unbelievable is that Wollongong has no early warning system - and no escape plan to evacuate citizens from monstrous fire storms.
The most vulnerable are those living in the seaside villages from Bulli Pass to Stanwell Park. Residents of Coledale, Coalcliff, Wombarra, Scarborough, Austinmer and Thirroul have only one road offering escape - Lawrence Hargreave Drive !
We already know what happens when overload occurs - as example that thunderstorm that cleared the beaches - and resulted in a traffic jam that took hours to clear.
The fire people urge householders to have a fire plan and drill all members on safely evacuating in a fire - and yet Wollongong Council and the members of parliament who represent this area have made no attempt to devise such a plan or put such a plan into practice.
We need two things - and we need them urgently. This year's fire season is not over and global warming has increased the danger - and extended the likely time frame.
We need a warning system to alert residents near the escarpment forests that they need to leave their homes and take shelter - and we need an evacuation plan to ensure that this can happen in an orderly manner.
Like that household fire drill - this plan needs to be well publicised and known to the people who live with fire danger. It may well be the only difference between survival and death !
A fire roaring down the escarpment similar to the fires in Victoria would be unstoppable - no matter what fire trucks and equipment were deployed. When it happens we will certainly lose a large number of homes - and sufffer the misery that will cause - but loss of life can be prevented - or at least sharply reduced.
All it would take is good forward planning - and that is what is missing - and doesn't even appear to be a priority with those we elected to represent us !
Saturday, 21 February 2009
Friday, 20 February 2009
SuperClinic !
The go-ahead has been given for Shellharbour's new SuperClinic and this will become reality in the months ahead. It is badly needed. Shellharbour has a General Practicioner to resident numbers ratio of 6596, way out of line with other Illawarra areas.
The tender has been awarded to the Illawarra Division of General Practice. As a result, it will be manned by the existing pool of GP's, but those manning the clinic will be restricted to six half day sessions a week to distribute the load and ensure practices in other suburbs are maintained.
And that is where a disturbing aspect seems to be emerging.
The most important content of general practice is the bond between doctor and patient. Most people have the same GP look after their health and as a consequence that medical practicioner knows them and their ailments intimately. They consult whenever a new symptom appears and they attend regularly to have scripts renewed - hence they are under regular review.
It sounds like the SuperClinic is going to be a " take a number and see whichever doctor is allocated to you "
There is a similarity between that and the public hospital system - and if that happens that bond between doctor and patient will be the first casualty.
There is every chance that a patient attending the SuperClinic may be seen by a doctor who impresses them sufficiently that they travel to where that doctor's practice is situated to maintain that bond.
The whole idea of the SuperClinic is to amass a pool of doctors to service a population group that is presently dangerously under serviced.
It will certainly achieve that objective - but at the cost of rupturing the intimate doctor/patient bond that is the main plank of general practice.
Unfortunately this seems to be the way the world is heading with rising population numbers - and a scarcity of services !
The tender has been awarded to the Illawarra Division of General Practice. As a result, it will be manned by the existing pool of GP's, but those manning the clinic will be restricted to six half day sessions a week to distribute the load and ensure practices in other suburbs are maintained.
And that is where a disturbing aspect seems to be emerging.
The most important content of general practice is the bond between doctor and patient. Most people have the same GP look after their health and as a consequence that medical practicioner knows them and their ailments intimately. They consult whenever a new symptom appears and they attend regularly to have scripts renewed - hence they are under regular review.
It sounds like the SuperClinic is going to be a " take a number and see whichever doctor is allocated to you "
There is a similarity between that and the public hospital system - and if that happens that bond between doctor and patient will be the first casualty.
There is every chance that a patient attending the SuperClinic may be seen by a doctor who impresses them sufficiently that they travel to where that doctor's practice is situated to maintain that bond.
The whole idea of the SuperClinic is to amass a pool of doctors to service a population group that is presently dangerously under serviced.
It will certainly achieve that objective - but at the cost of rupturing the intimate doctor/patient bond that is the main plank of general practice.
Unfortunately this seems to be the way the world is heading with rising population numbers - and a scarcity of services !
Thursday, 19 February 2009
A common standard.
The good news is that the makers of mobile phones have agreed to settle on a common standard, one model of transformer recharging device. No longer will there be a different charger - with different sized plugs to suit each model of mobile phones - and in some instances, different chargers for each of that maker's range of models.
That's good old common sense, but it still has a long way to go. A common standard could be applied to an enormous range of products used in the electrical, hardware, motor vehicle and appliance industries.
It would take the hassle out of finding replacement and repair items, and it should reduce prices by eliminating a big holding of different stock for merchants.
Another product that urgently needs rationalization is the pharmaceutical industry.
A research firm develops a new drug and it enters the market under that name. The patent eventually runs out and generic copies flood the market - and a whole number of new names are applied to that common drug.
Pity help the aged and infirm. Chemists supplying generic scripts often make rapid changes of suppliers - depending on the discounts offered - and as a result the user often gets a completely new named drug each time a script is filled.
Each generic drug does contain the chemical name of the contents, but most patients don't look further than the primary name on the packet. This opens the opportunity for mishap - and with the powerful drugs on the market today - the chance of a serious accident or even death.
Let us hope that the wisdom of the mobile phone manufacturers will not just end with their product. Now would be a good time for the government to step in and devise standards to eliminate the confusion duplication brings.
The opportunities for progress are amazingly broad !
That's good old common sense, but it still has a long way to go. A common standard could be applied to an enormous range of products used in the electrical, hardware, motor vehicle and appliance industries.
It would take the hassle out of finding replacement and repair items, and it should reduce prices by eliminating a big holding of different stock for merchants.
Another product that urgently needs rationalization is the pharmaceutical industry.
A research firm develops a new drug and it enters the market under that name. The patent eventually runs out and generic copies flood the market - and a whole number of new names are applied to that common drug.
Pity help the aged and infirm. Chemists supplying generic scripts often make rapid changes of suppliers - depending on the discounts offered - and as a result the user often gets a completely new named drug each time a script is filled.
Each generic drug does contain the chemical name of the contents, but most patients don't look further than the primary name on the packet. This opens the opportunity for mishap - and with the powerful drugs on the market today - the chance of a serious accident or even death.
Let us hope that the wisdom of the mobile phone manufacturers will not just end with their product. Now would be a good time for the government to step in and devise standards to eliminate the confusion duplication brings.
The opportunities for progress are amazingly broad !
Wednesday, 18 February 2009
The new drug - Cane toads !
We have been trying to find a way to eradicate Cane Toads since their introduction to this country decades ago. Nothing has worked - and they are on their way to invading Kakadu - and eventually they will make a home in Sydney.
Now the police have a new problem on their hands. Cane Toads may be the next big thing in the drug trade !
Iran reports that drug users there have discovered that the local toads - which have a poison in their skin which repels predators - can be used to create a high.
The locals skin the toads, partially dry the skin and then roll it around tobacco to form a cigarette. When smoked this poison acts as a hallucinogen - similar to LSD.
Where do we go from here ? Will we see a law making it illegal to be found to be in possession of a Cane Toad ?
It is possible that our Cane Toads do not have the same pathogen in their skin as the Iranian breed, but it sounds mighty similar and you can be certain that local drug users have pricked up their ears - and will put it to the test.
If it proves to be a new drug of choice we will face another problem. Drug suppliers will have a huge incentive to help Cane Toads spread to other parts of Australia.
Why let Queensland corner the drug supply if you can have the main ingredient hopping around in your own backyard ?
We are certainly not winning the war on drugs - and it looks like dear old Mother Nature has just dealt the drug industry a hand consisting of four aces !
Now the police have a new problem on their hands. Cane Toads may be the next big thing in the drug trade !
Iran reports that drug users there have discovered that the local toads - which have a poison in their skin which repels predators - can be used to create a high.
The locals skin the toads, partially dry the skin and then roll it around tobacco to form a cigarette. When smoked this poison acts as a hallucinogen - similar to LSD.
Where do we go from here ? Will we see a law making it illegal to be found to be in possession of a Cane Toad ?
It is possible that our Cane Toads do not have the same pathogen in their skin as the Iranian breed, but it sounds mighty similar and you can be certain that local drug users have pricked up their ears - and will put it to the test.
If it proves to be a new drug of choice we will face another problem. Drug suppliers will have a huge incentive to help Cane Toads spread to other parts of Australia.
Why let Queensland corner the drug supply if you can have the main ingredient hopping around in your own backyard ?
We are certainly not winning the war on drugs - and it looks like dear old Mother Nature has just dealt the drug industry a hand consisting of four aces !
Tuesday, 17 February 2009
Death awaits !
We are horrified at the carnage and destruction fire caused in Victoria, and yet a similar fate is ever present from our escarpment.
Stand just about anywhere in Wollongong and look at the escarpment and you see a huge number of trees cascading down to where they intermingle with homes. It last burned in 1968, hence the amount of fuel present must be enormous - and all it will take is the right circumstances - hot weather, high winds - and a spark in the right place - and we have a disaster !
There is no way such a fire can be prevented. The fire people conduct regular fuel reduction burn-offs when conditions allow, but just as the Victorian fires morphed from a normal bush fire into a fire storm no amount of hazard reduction can remove the danger.
The one thing we can do is to have a workable evacuation plan - and have this backed by a warning system that is practical.
What is needed is a " worst case " scenario to plot which homes could not survive a fire storm and install a means of alerting residents to flee before the fire arrives. Whether that escape should be compulsory or voluntary is a moot point, and will no doubt result in a verbal tussle between the civil liberties people and the authorities.
As a result of events in Victoria many people are now less complacent about fire risks and there is a greater tendency to accept the concept of evacuation.
The problem is that without a clearly delineated plan of who should flee and where they should seek safety - and a warning system to sound the alarm about a coming major fire event - the same confusion and mixed reactions that killed people in Victoria will most likely prevail here.
It is not a matter of " if " but of " when " the escarpment will burn. Now is the time to have contingency plans in place and ready !
Stand just about anywhere in Wollongong and look at the escarpment and you see a huge number of trees cascading down to where they intermingle with homes. It last burned in 1968, hence the amount of fuel present must be enormous - and all it will take is the right circumstances - hot weather, high winds - and a spark in the right place - and we have a disaster !
There is no way such a fire can be prevented. The fire people conduct regular fuel reduction burn-offs when conditions allow, but just as the Victorian fires morphed from a normal bush fire into a fire storm no amount of hazard reduction can remove the danger.
The one thing we can do is to have a workable evacuation plan - and have this backed by a warning system that is practical.
What is needed is a " worst case " scenario to plot which homes could not survive a fire storm and install a means of alerting residents to flee before the fire arrives. Whether that escape should be compulsory or voluntary is a moot point, and will no doubt result in a verbal tussle between the civil liberties people and the authorities.
As a result of events in Victoria many people are now less complacent about fire risks and there is a greater tendency to accept the concept of evacuation.
The problem is that without a clearly delineated plan of who should flee and where they should seek safety - and a warning system to sound the alarm about a coming major fire event - the same confusion and mixed reactions that killed people in Victoria will most likely prevail here.
It is not a matter of " if " but of " when " the escarpment will burn. Now is the time to have contingency plans in place and ready !
Monday, 16 February 2009
Musical chairs ?
The proposal to combine and integrate the roles of cleaners and wardpersons at Wollongong hospital reeks of cost cutting.
At first glance it seems reasonable. Having a pool of people who can do either job means that there is greater flexibility. If things are quiet in the wards, more people can be tasked to clean and help eliminate the super bugs that are spreading throughout the hospital.
That is where theory comes into sharp contrast with reality. The majority of the wardpersons are male - and big, muscled males at that - well suited to moving patients in their beds to various parts of the hospital for procedures. They also do the heavy lifting under instruction from nurses and doctors.
The cleaners are mostly female, are well trained - and have an affinity for the jobs they do.
Combining the roles simply means diluting the skills and causing headaches for the nursing staff who need to call on either section. If there is a surge in patient movement it would have to be at the cost of cleaning, and if cleaning is essential to prepare a bed for a new patient then movement to procedures will have to be delayed.
The one factor not mentioned in this proposal is staff numbers, but a cynic would be certain that hospital management has in mind a reduction in numbers - and therefore a saving in costs.
What is galling to the people who actually work in and run hospitals is that this inevitable lowering of standards is being proposed at the same time as an army of displaced senior bureaucrats is idle, drawing big figure salaries and doing nothing - because their jobs have been abolished.
It is time that redundancy in the public service means the same as it does in the private sector.
You get a pink slip - and you get your cheque for redundancy pay, holiday pay and any other money owing - and you go out the door and go look for another job !
At least that would be more practical than damn fool schemes like combining skills to achieve lower standards !
At first glance it seems reasonable. Having a pool of people who can do either job means that there is greater flexibility. If things are quiet in the wards, more people can be tasked to clean and help eliminate the super bugs that are spreading throughout the hospital.
That is where theory comes into sharp contrast with reality. The majority of the wardpersons are male - and big, muscled males at that - well suited to moving patients in their beds to various parts of the hospital for procedures. They also do the heavy lifting under instruction from nurses and doctors.
The cleaners are mostly female, are well trained - and have an affinity for the jobs they do.
Combining the roles simply means diluting the skills and causing headaches for the nursing staff who need to call on either section. If there is a surge in patient movement it would have to be at the cost of cleaning, and if cleaning is essential to prepare a bed for a new patient then movement to procedures will have to be delayed.
The one factor not mentioned in this proposal is staff numbers, but a cynic would be certain that hospital management has in mind a reduction in numbers - and therefore a saving in costs.
What is galling to the people who actually work in and run hospitals is that this inevitable lowering of standards is being proposed at the same time as an army of displaced senior bureaucrats is idle, drawing big figure salaries and doing nothing - because their jobs have been abolished.
It is time that redundancy in the public service means the same as it does in the private sector.
You get a pink slip - and you get your cheque for redundancy pay, holiday pay and any other money owing - and you go out the door and go look for another job !
At least that would be more practical than damn fool schemes like combining skills to achieve lower standards !
Sunday, 15 February 2009
The fire brigade levy !
Eventually figures will be collated to reveal how many homes destroyed in the Victorian fire disaster were uninsured. Recovery will then depend on many factors, including public goodwill and help from the government.
We can expect a growing percentage of uninsured homes in the months - and possibly years ahead. The first thing that happens in hard times is that household expenditure is examined - and discretionary spending is cut.
When the insurance premium renewal comes in some will review it as " non essential " and reluctantly drop their insurance cover. A factor that will have a bearing on such a decision is the heavy imposition of the Fire brigade levy in the premium.
That raises another question. The people who insure are paying to maintain the fire brigade, but all householders share the benefit. The fire brigade does not only turn out to save insured homes !
The uninsured are getting a free ride and because of that those who are insured are paying an artificially high premium. If the premium were lower, obviously more people would be inclined to insure their homes.
Perhaps the emphasis on fire protection costs should not be added to insurance premiums, but levied against all households on an equal basis - and that could be achieved by making fire insurance a component of municipal rates.
There would be a huge advantage of removing insurance as an optional decision and providing cover to all homes through automatic rate cover. The pool of contributions would be higher, and as a consequence the individual charge would be lower.
When the Royal Commission begins investigating the Victorian tragedy the matter of insurance cover should be high on the agenda. Universal fire, flood and storm insurance would let many sleep more soundly even in hard economic times !
We can expect a growing percentage of uninsured homes in the months - and possibly years ahead. The first thing that happens in hard times is that household expenditure is examined - and discretionary spending is cut.
When the insurance premium renewal comes in some will review it as " non essential " and reluctantly drop their insurance cover. A factor that will have a bearing on such a decision is the heavy imposition of the Fire brigade levy in the premium.
That raises another question. The people who insure are paying to maintain the fire brigade, but all householders share the benefit. The fire brigade does not only turn out to save insured homes !
The uninsured are getting a free ride and because of that those who are insured are paying an artificially high premium. If the premium were lower, obviously more people would be inclined to insure their homes.
Perhaps the emphasis on fire protection costs should not be added to insurance premiums, but levied against all households on an equal basis - and that could be achieved by making fire insurance a component of municipal rates.
There would be a huge advantage of removing insurance as an optional decision and providing cover to all homes through automatic rate cover. The pool of contributions would be higher, and as a consequence the individual charge would be lower.
When the Royal Commission begins investigating the Victorian tragedy the matter of insurance cover should be high on the agenda. Universal fire, flood and storm insurance would let many sleep more soundly even in hard economic times !
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