Daniel Goleman, the renowned psychologist and international best-selling author of "Emotional intelligence", has written in support of our campaign to amend the NZ Code of Rights to add, "The right to be treated with compassion".
In his latest best-seller, "Social Intelligence", he writes of the story of Dr Robin Youngson, the Founder of the Centre for Compassion in Healthcare, being motivated by the hospital experience of his daughter Chloe to campaign to change the Code of Rights. Chloe broke her neck in a serious car accident and was tied down to a hospital bed for three months in spinal traction. Although the quality of clinical care was excellent and Chloe is fully healed, many of her experiences in hospital showed that the hospital system failed in many ways to meet her basic human needs.
Writing in support of our campaign, Goleman says, "Healing has a broader meaning than simply curing a disease; it implies helping a person regain a sense of wholeness and emotional wellness. Patients need healing along with their medical care - and compassion heals in ways that no medicine or technology can."
"Typically the emotional component of health care jobs does not count as 'real work'. But if the needs for emotional care were routinely regarded as an essential part of the job, then health workers could do their jobs better."
"If we are to shift to more humane organizations, change will be required at two levels: within the hearts and minds of those who provide the care, and in the ground rules of the institution. Signs of the desire for such a shift are abundant."
"My bessings and all good wishes for the success of your humanitarian campaign [to change the code of rights]."
Daniel Goleman
6th January 2009
