OPINION

Easier ride

Re: "Pearl loses its lustre," (BP, Feb 13).

Taxi rip-offs are a major problem in Phuket. Here in Bangkok, I have found ride-hailing to be far preferable to taking a metered taxi from the kerb. Ride-hailing companies like Grab or Bolt ask for a patron's instant feedback after each ride, and display each driver's grade before you get in the car. Fares are fixed, known in advance and competitive.

Also, ride-hailing firms quickly correct problems -- I once gave a driver a one-star grade, and Bolt called me that afternoon. That's much faster than the Land Transport Department.

This solution to taxi rip-offs should work in Phuket also -- even with metered cabs that have joined Bolt/Grab -- if local authorities buck the mafia.

Thanks to DPM Anutin's Bhumjaithai Party for keeping its campaign promise to legalise ride-hailing.

Re: "A jab at Trudeau," (PostBag, Feb 12).

Eric Bahrt protests Canada's "fascist vaccine mandate". What he neglects to say is that the vaccination requirement only applies to people crossing the border, so truckers and other Canadians who don't want to be vaccinated can simply stay in Canada. Thailand, too, requires that all entrants be vaccinated against Covid-19; but Thailand, unlike Canada, also requires people to spend two nights in quarantine at a hotel at their own expense.

The writer also ignores the fact that most or all 50 US states require schoolchildren to be vaccinated against a host of diseases to attend public or private school, presumably a violation of the rights of children and their parents who would prefer to run the risk of contracting and spreading any of several potentially lethal diseases.

In short, it is hard to see how vaccine mandates -- whether for Covid-19 or for chickenpox, polio or whooping cough -- "violate medical ethics and democratic freedom" any more than DUI laws, air and water emission limits, hard-hat requirements for construction workers, or other statutes aimed at protecting society and its members from potential deadly harms.

Re: "Hospital launches heart drive for docs", (BP, Feb 15).

I must say that Medpark is an iconic hospital in Bangkok and one of the best in terms of taking care of its patients. My family had a positive experience with their oncology department.

Medpark's horizontal management style and strong team approach are unique. However, this also takes a toll on doctors, nurses and other staff. I must say that in addition to providing free cardiac services to its doctors, they must extend it to nurses and other essential staff. They should also consider providing staff with free services for other deadly diseases such as cancer and diabetes.

In Thailand, Medpark can set an example as a hospital that cares about its workforce in addition to its patients.

A healthy workforce is essential to running any healthcare institution. Kudos to the management of Medpark for coming up with a rare, nice and unique gesture.

Re: "Q&A leads the way," (PostBag, Feb 13).

According to the letter writer: "Democracy in many Asian countries has degenerated into dog fights, fistfights, hurtling chairs, brawls and beatings during elections and in parliament sessions."

So, of course, the British parliamentary style in which politicians of various stripes ask and answer (Q&A) during Question Time is far preferable to this!

It should be noted that various other countries which are still part of the British Commonwealth, such as Canada, also follow this asking and answering of questions style, but in the Canadian case, the session is called "Question Period".