It is sad that the alcohol industry seek to profit out of the misery that alcohol brings to the poorest of our society. They punt poor research to justify why alcohol does not affect increase in hospital admissions. They minimise the impact of alcohol on hospital admissions.

Are we so dehumanised that we fail to see the reality on the ground that is witnessed by medical professionals? Anecdotal evidence is sometimes the best evidence.

I spent more that five years working as a staff nurse at the casualty department of GaRankuwa Hospital (now George Mukhari). I have experienced first-hand the blood and gore medical personnel deal with over the weekends, especially at month-end. A dear colleague was shot dead on duty in one of the worst experiences working at the hospital.

When you leave the hospital at the end of your shift, the smell of blood and booze is stuck to your clothes. You feel like scrubbing yourself off, to no avail. I challenge the naysayers who minimise the impact of alcohol to spend one night in one of the large hospitals and see the results of their handy work.

Dr Madimetja Phakeng, Centurion