KASAD28: Cake and WHO Code issue reply

KASAD28: Cake

Materials

- 8 ply yarn in three colours.
- 6 mm knitting needles
- yarn needle to weave in ends, scissors to cut yarn.

Skills and difficulty
Beginner knitter
- cast on
- cast off
- knit stitch
- changing colour at the end of row
- carrying unused yarn up the side

Colours
In this example, C1 is pale yellow, C2 is purple and C3 is pink

Procedure

1. Using C1, cast on 32 stitches.
2. Knit 22 rows (11 ridges). End C1.
3. Change to C2. Knit 4 rows (2 ridges). Carry unused yarn
4. Change to C3. Knit 2 rows (1 ridge). End C3.
5. Return to C2. Knit 4 rows (2 ridges). End C2.
6. Change to C1. Knit 23 rows (12 ridges).
7. Cast off and leave a 50cm tail.
8. Weave in beginning end and butterfly the tail.

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WHO Code Pharmacy issue

I blogged previously about the importance of the WHO Code and about the breach at our local pharmacy. Here is the response I received.
.... Chemists is proud to be able to offer our customers the opportunity to use scales for the weighing of babies in our stores. It is a service which we extend to all mums and carers and one which has been warmly welcomed by those who use it.

We believe in the ability of parents to make decisions which take account of their individual circumstances and we support the choices they make in the interests of good health.

As a retail pharmacy we provide products and services to meet a diverse range of needs. In the interests of hygiene we provide disposable covers for the convenience of the parents and carers who use the baby weigh service.

We take your concerns very seriously and as such have reviewed our position. We understand that the provision of these disposable covers does not contravene existing rules and regulations which impact pharmacy in Australia.

We are also working with our ... Chemists branch store to address this however if you have any further concerns we encourage you to please raise these directly with us at ...Management.

Kind Regards,

Operations Admin
... Chemists Customer Service


I also received a reponse from the local store. In it the manager let me know that the baby nurse was at the store once a week, with the exception of public holidays when the store was closed. I was in error when I said that there was no baby nurse there. The previous nurse had left and I hadn't realised that the new nurse was coming in on a different day, since that's one of my work days so I'm not in the pharmacy and I overlooked the signs. Despite my mistake here, however, the pharmacy is still not following the WHO Code even if the nurse was there during all opening hours (currently she is there for half a day once a week, with the available times advertised.) The manager also let me know that she had passed on my issue to the chain management and that that process takes time and she apologised if that mean that I thought that it hadn't been addressed. (It had been approximately three weeks between when I raised the issue instore and when I send my online feedback to the chain managment.)

Here is my response to the email I quoted above.

I find it very difficult to believe that you have taken my concerns ‘very seriously’ from the rest of your email. To again clarify my position – I have no objection to the provision of the baby scales or the use of a blank/ unbranded disposable mat for hygiene purposes.

I too ‘believe in the ability of parents to make decisions which take account of their individual circumstances and we support the choices they make in the interests of good health.’ It is for this very reason that I have contacted you about this issue. If you believe this as you say, then why do you undermine this through unethical advertising? If good health is really a concern of yours, then why does *** Chemists not follow the WHO Code?

I repeat my earlier point that this is not about being ‘anti-formula’ but is about making sure that it is used, advertised and sold appropriately. I say this as a mother who uses both the baby weigh station at **** and formula and who is thankful for the availability of both.

I have not found anything in your email which makes me feel that you have taken my concerns ‘very seriously’. You have defended points which I never objected to. I have no concerns about the baby scales being available – indeed, I think that it is important for a pharmacy which sells weight dependant medication to have scales available. As I said both in store and in my online feedback, I have no concerns about the use of a disposable mat in general. My concern lies with the blatant formula advertising on the disposable mat. I do not see how this branding has anything to do with hygiene.

The only part of your email which address the actual issue – the branding on the mat – is where you say that it ‘does not contravene existing rules and regulations which impact pharmacy in Australia’ is incorrect. The General Assembly of the World Health Organisation adopted the Code in 1981, and as a Member State of the WHO Australia has agreed to follow the Code. Whilst the entirety of the Code is not enforced under Australian law, you are incorrect in your statement that the Code does not impact on pharmacy in Australia.

In ‘the interest of good health’ is *** Chemists prepared to remove the branding from the mats in the *** store as per the WHO Code, or will **** Chemists continue to jeopardise the health of infants because the prohibition of such is not legally enforced?

I will continue to let you know of future developments.