KD writes:

>Re criticism of incompetent professionals and cringing.  I see no reason why
>anyone would "cringe" when reading about the incompetence of others.

<snip>

You are right, and I would go further, Kathy.

I think it is *important* we are 'allowed' to share tales of incompetence,
ignorance and lack of compassion without worrying about offending innocent
others who just happen to have the same letters after their name as the
ones we are complaining about.

I also think it is *important* we acknowledge there is a clear underlying
problem not with individuals, but with the training and remuneration of
certain professional groups and institutions.

It's not just chance or bad luck that some  individual health professionals
are lousy at giving bf info and support, or that some individual hospitals
rely on cash-back or subsidy from formula manufacturers or that some
individual maternity units are, for institutional reasons, incapable of
'allowing'  best practice.

Lactnet is an essential medium through which to raise these issues, and to
share them and learn what happens in other countries with different
systems. For example, many of the issues we face are the same in the UK,
yet our health care system is dissimilar in many ways from the US.

Of course we do all this criticism in a civilised and polite way, making
sure we do not offend individuals who may be blameless.

Goes without saying....

But we should still do it.

Heather Welford Neil
NCT bfc Newcastle upon Tyne UK

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