THERE is so much bad news and there have been so many difficult stories about the NHS that I wish to share my excellent experience. I had my first cataract operation in early June and the second in mid-October. Both were hugely successful thanks to the skill of the dedicated teams at the Golden Jubilee National Hospital in Clydebank. There can be no greater gift than to preserve the sense of sight.

All of this was carried out free of charge within our so undervalued National Health Service by highly trained staff. We often don't value what we have.

Dave Biggart,

Southcroft, Knockbuckle Road, Kilmacolm.

DR J D McKelvie’s letter (October 30) appropriately recognises Dr AJ Cronin’s book The Citadel as a possible stimulus for the birth of the NHS. In addition, Cronin drew attention to the non-existent state of postgraduate medical education, with newly qualified doctors going straight from university to unsupervised medical practice, with all its inherent challenges.

What is less well known is that AJ Cronin’s son Professor RF Cronin was an inspirational Dean of the Faculty of Medicine at McGill University in Montreal, which has close links with the University of Glasgow. He was also a highly respected cardiologist. He worked very effectively with the Canadian International Development Agency in setting up student and graduate fellowship exchange programmes in developing countries. Thus he was able to take forward the deficiencies in post graduate education identified in his father’s writings to a global level. They were indeed a remarkable family with strong west of Scotland links.

Dr F G Dunn,

14Gadloch Avenue, Lenzie.