Madam, – Today I found a bundle of colourful advertising material in my letter box (nothing new about that!). I was about to put it in my green bin when I found – in the middle of fliers about An Post’s billpay service, Four-Star Pizza, Boylesports and Superquinn – an A5 leaflet from the HSE about swine flu or influenza A(H1N1) as the leaflet calls it.
How many of these HSE leaflets will end up unseen in rubbish bins? Was it really necessary to incur such a huge cost sending this to presumably every household in the country? We have had plenty of advice on dealing with this flu on radio and TV.
The Flu Information Line is available 24 hours a day, according to the leaflet.
Yet social workers are not available at weekends due to lack of funding, and this week it was announced that wards were to be closed at Crumlin children’s hospital for the same reason.
Did anyone in the HSE consider the value for money in sending this flu leaflet out, especially at a time when households are receiving large quantities of election literature in addition to the promotional material that comes daily? I doubt it. More likely the HSE official involved will get a performance related bonus. – Yours, etc,