Dear editor,

I recently read a letter to the editor that said a decision had been made by Island Health requiring GP鈥檚 offices to use throw-away, single-use plastic speculums (Island Health鈥檚 directive to switch to plastic speculums is counter-productive, July 4). I wrote to Island Health and told them I thought their decision was poorly thought-out, since single-use plastic waste has become such a big problem.

I received the following reply from Island Health:

鈥淚sland Health does not have any internal policy or protocol requiring the use of single-use plastic speculums at our sites. Some sites use plastic speculums, while others use metal, and the decision is site-specific and based on a variety of factors.

鈥淚n the case of private practice general practitioner offices, no policy mandating single-use plastic speculums exists, nor does Island Health have the ability to dictate what products are used in a private practice setting.鈥�

Just wanted to set the record straight.

Ellen Rainwalker

Cumberland