Healthcare Problems and Solutions
Written by Gavin Palmer practicing a relationship with the Greatest Intentions
Serious content should have version control with historical changes.
Problem: Limited Supply of Healthcare Resources
Ignorance
The general problem of ignorance in healthcare demands the general solution of sensemaking in healthcare.
COVID-19
People report the COVID-19 pandemic leads to hospitals being overcrowded with COVID-19 patients which strains the healthcare system.
Short-term Solution: Allow Assisted Suicides
- A better choice of words would be “improved hospice services” instead of “allow assisted suicides”.
- People responded in a predictable way to my suggestion that assisted suicides would improve our healthcare system. I used a familiar word in a strange way. When I use the phrase “assisted suicide” people imagine euthanasia. I was merely thinking that an old person occupying vital resources needed by a younger person which they deem to have more responsibility and potential should be empowered to choose to go home and face death with honor. When I explained my thinking, I was told that I am thinking about “hospice”.
There are situations where patients should be allowed to know if they are occupying vital healthcare resources which could be given to other patients. A patient should be allowed to give their resources to other people. The patient’s pain and suffering could be eased with medications administered by volunteers.
- I could be trained to administer pain medication to assisted suicide patients within 3 weeks.
- These patients have indicated that they do not fear mistakes from volunteers.
Long-term Solution: Remove Barriers to Entry
Every person who is willing and able to provide professional healthcare services should have the opportunity to do so with minimal barriers to entry.
- There should be no organizations which work to limit the supply of healthcare professionals.
- The cost of becoming a healthcare professional should be as low as possible.
- I could be trained to provide many healthcare services to COVID-19 patients within 3 weeks.