Having just spent a few days in Tauranga Hospital, I came to appreciate how overworked not only doctors and nurses are, but cleaners as well.

In fact, I had great admiration for a white-headed elderly lady whose work ethic was unbelievable. From mopping floors, washing walls and making beds, this lady never stopped.

To think that successive governments from the early 1960s ‘til now have shown an indifference to our health workers is quite unbelievable, and is only appreciated by the general public when they are lying in bed and being run after by doctors and nurses alike. We can only hope for change.

John O'Rourke, Tauranga (abridged).