We received excellent training, even if some of it was conducted in a military style.

We were a world-class teaching hospital and foreign students considered themselves lucky to be able to experience a variety of conditions and situations they would never have come across in their own countries.

But what struck me most about the article was the names of the professors who are still there.

I recognised their names - and I'm just amazed that these giants of men have dedicated their lives to the betterment of others, through both their teaching and their care of others. - Nina Frank, by e-mail

IT IS painful to read and witness the decline of a once wonderful hospital.

It is a hospital that, 30 years ago, through the dedication of doctors and staff, saved my life.

Recently, for the past two years, I've had to go to the hospital again - for brain scans, X-rays, blood tests and so on. But I have come to the conclusion that it is not worth risking my health and life any further.

Whatever money I might save by not having to pay for a doctor's consultation fee is offset by the length of time I waste waiting to be seen.

Doctors are overextended by the multitude of patients.

The examinations are mostly over in the shortest possible period of time.

Time and again I have been prescribed medications to which I have had a bad reaction. Collecting the medication takes almost half a day.

An appointment to see a dermatologist for a chronic problem was made for seven months later. I had to wait two months for a CAT scan.

I have witnessed a cashier insulting and screaming at a woman because she was able to pay only in large denomination notes.

The hospital is a failure, as are so many institutions run and financed by the government. No control, no vision. - E Schwentzek, Randburg

WHY can't the rest of the country allow its hospitals to be run like those in KwaZulu-Natal? They care for patients.

The Nkosi Albert Luthuli Hospital in Durban is run like clockwork, probably because of the Canadians on board.

The staff are professional, they have updated equipment and you could eat off the hospital's floors. I think the hospital is more jacked-up and cleaner than most private clinics throughout the country.

We need more Nkosi Albert Luthuli hospitals, urgently. - Anon, by email

THE Gauteng health department needs to intervene urgently to address the staff and equipment crisis.It is totally unrealistic to expect the hospital to function effectively when this year's R1.7-billion budget is less than the R2-billion spent last year.

While the department denies that its hiring moratorium includes doctors and nurses, many posts are unfilled because the hospital has not been given the go-ahead to appoint selected applicants.

I don't believe claims that the department has paid all suppliers because many companies are still refusing to do maintenance or supply equipment because of unpaid accounts.

The future of academic medicine is at stake if this flagship hospital continues to deteriorate.

We have very fine medical specialists, but they will walk away if we do not give them proper support.