health agency in-action

There's a new virus spreading in China. Thanks to modern transport it is also spreading to the rest of the world. China closes cities in an effort to contain the spread of this new disease.

What does the rest of the world do? Absolutely nothing.

The World Health Organisation is on alert. Holding meetings. That is, doing nothing.

Australia's Health Department has activated its national incident room. Members are probably flying round Australia to have meetings. That is, they are doing nothing.

Is this just a case of bureaucratic inertia? National and international organisations are saying, it's not yet an emergency. So they do nothing.

Meanwhile, people with actual brains are saying, we should be doing something to prevent this from becoming an emergency.

But then, if we actually do something... and the emergency is avoided...  how will the big health organisations justify their huge emergency response budgets?

Remember the Year 2000 computer crisis? It's still a joke because... nothing happened. Why not? Because an enormous effort went into prevention -- before it became a crisis. But there is no glory for prevention.

I would like to see a coronavirus crisis averted. Before it becomes an actual crisis. But there is no glory in prevention. It's in the interest of major health groups to allow a health crisis to happen. Power and glory will follow... as long as the crisis is not averted by acting in a timely fashion.

Nick Lethbridge  /  consulting dexitroboper
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"I took out a loan to pay for an exorcism. If I don't pay it back, I'm going to get repossessed." … Olaf Falafel
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