The headline letter (Oxford Mail, August 13) is again about hospital smoking shelters and why they should not be allowed. As far as I’m concerned all these people with so-called good reasons why smoking should be banned all miss two very important points.

Firstly, if everyone in the country suddenly stopped smoking, how much money would the Government lose? It would run into billions of pounds and they would still want that money, if only to waste on making excuses.

Secondly, instead of moaning about people smoking in hospital grounds, they should be moaning about patient care. A couple of weeks ago my 18-year-old niece, who has never smoked or taken drugs, was taken from the John Radcliffe Hospital where she was being treated for chest pains and breathing problems to the Churchill for a lung test.

After the tests and although she could barely stand, let alone walk, she was left in an ordinary chair in the corridor and forgotten for more than two hours, unable to do anything, not even use the toilet.

The excuse given for her being dumped and forgotten like this was because she was an hour late being taken to the Churchill Hospital and transport to take her back to the JR went to the Churchill before she had even left the JR and because they could not find her waiting at the Churchill, they just ticked her off as another job done and patted themselves on the back for a job well done.

This is the sort of thing that needs looking at, not worrying about people committing suicide by smoking.

KEITH BROOKS, Gateley, Horspath, Oxford