[DRAFT] WHA Classification for a Basic Healthcare System

[Democratic-Socialist America]

This is our nation's first proposal. Our Dept of Health coordinated with the WHA, Dept of State, and our ambassador to the WA in drafting this proposal with the hope of creating positive pressure among the member nations to improve their standards of care. From what our team of international lawyers can tell, this proposal does not encroach on any prior resolutions; although they believe it does complement (but not amend) the resolution which created the WHA.

We would like to open a discussion on this draft, with the goals of hearing positive suggestions as well as building support for its endorsement once it is officially proposed in a few days.

WHA Classification for a Basic Healthcare System
Health / Healthcare

NOTICING that a lack of access to minimal quality healthcare persists throughout a great number of member-states,

RECOGNIZING that prior resolutions have not been effective enough to rectify the poor quality of care in such countries,

CONCERNED that a lack of standards exists for even the most basic health care system, and

ACKNOWLEDGING the dire need for such a qualification,

THE WORLD ASSEMBLY HEREBY:

I. ESTABLISHES the Basic Standards of Care Committee (BSCC) within the jurisdiction of the World Health Authority (WHA),

II. DELEGATES to the Committee the task of quadrennially publishing a report which includes the minimal criteria for a member nation to be considered as having a basic health care system by the WHA,
a. Once such criteria are met, the member-nation shall be awarded a WHA rating of “Sufficient,”
b. A list of member-nations which meet these criteria are to be included at the end of the report, followed by the individual reasons for revoking a member’s WHA-rating during the period since the last report published, if applicable,
c. If a nation does NOT meet the criteria, no WHA-rating shall be given,

III. REQUIRES that in order to obtain the Committee’s endorsement of having a “basic health-care system,” a member-nation’s health authority must ensure ready access to the WHA’s Core List of Essential Medicines, which the WHA shall review and update every two years,

IV. ENCOURAGES members’ national health authorities to cooperate and establish regional complementary lists of essential medicines, which are to be tailored to treat diseases endemic to that region.

OOC: I'm a medical student so this type of issue is right up my alley. I was actually going to include the aforementioned List of Essential Medicines (which ofc would be a near-copy of the WHO's list), but it would have made the proposal really long even if formatted correctly. So I cut that out and just included the meat of the proposal. I might consider doing that for another proposal in the future, depending on how this one works out. Pretty happy with how it looks so far, though. Please consider supporting it in a few days, delegates!

[Grays Harbor]

A few prior resolutions to consider to ensure no duplication. Not all medical related are here, but these seemed the most relevant.

World Health Authority
Access to Life-Saving Drugs
Quality in Health Services
Essential Medication Act

[Saveyou Island]

II. DELEGATES to the Committee the task of quadrennially publishing a report which includes the minimal criteria for a member nation to be considered as having a basic health care system by the WHA,

"You expect us to vote for this without giving us the slightest idea of what actually classifies as a basic health care system in the resolution? Saveyou Island strives to improve its public health care system everyday, but this seems like a corrupt mess in the making. We cannot support this as it is."

[Democratic-Socialist America]

II. DELEGATES to the Committee the task of quadrennially publishing a report which includes the minimal criteria for a member nation to be considered as having a basic health care system by the WHA,

"You expect us to vote for this without giving us the slightest idea of what actually classifies as a basic health care system in the resolution? Saveyou Island strives to improve its public health care system everyday, but this seems like a corrupt mess in the making. We cannot support this as it is."

Perhaps the honourable gentleman would like to share his concerns in more detail? And just maybe he would allow us to hear his opinion on the establishment of the WHA itself? Does he not trust the education of its staff? Does he have qualms with its structure? Are there any philosophical reasons for the objection? Because as of now, this seems like an empty criticism without merit. To make matters worse, it appears that the honourable gentleman merely has one corrupt endorsement in the World Assembly -- most likely from his own brethren masquerading as a separate nation. For shame!

The WHA ensures that its physicians on staff endure the most rigorous education and testing before applying for they applied to a residency. Furthermore, board certification is required to be renewed every five years, which is half the amount of time as the international mean of 10 years.

If the honourable gentleman from Saveyou Island cannot provide a specific recommendation for consideration of inclusion in this draft, with adequate argument, then our ambassador to the World Assembly has no choice but to ignore such dribble.

[Grays Harbor]

The WHA ensures that its physicians on staff endure the most rigorous education and testing before applying for they applied to a residency. Furthermore, board certification is required to be renewed every five years, which is half the amount of time as the international mean of 10 years.

Actually, the WHA does no such thing. If you had read the link to the World Health Authority resolution I provided previously you would know that.

[Calladan]

What benefit do we get from having the WHA's endorsement?

If Calladan meets the required standard (which - by the way - is not defined in the proposal and, based on the fact that a report will be generated four times a year to outline what is a basic healthcare system, will probably change from month to month and year to year) what do we get out of it? Other than knowing we have the WHA's endorsement?

Would there be any requirement to keep up the endorsement? So that if Calladan has it one year, then the WHA change (what they are pleased to call) their minds about what makes a basic system, does that mean Calladan could lose the endorsement and have to make the effort to get it again?

Will the WHA remain politcally neutral? Or will there be the possibility that - should Calladan make some enemies within the World Assembly and WHA - undue influence can be brought to bear to change something that Calladan currently has (for want of a better phrase) and so strip Calladan of the endorsement not because our health care system has suddenly become crappy but because another nation wants to embarrass us?

While my nation in general approves of this motion, there are too many questions that need answering for my government to be able to support it at the moment.

[Hannasea]

"My question is: OK, so a nation is rated Sufficient or not. Then what? It's not clear what, if any, benefits there are to meeting the committee's standards, and what, if any, repercussions there are to failing to do so."

Daniella Russel, MA PhD
Representing the office of:
Ambassador Brittany Hepburn
Semi-Permanent Representative to the World Assembly

[Saveyou Island]

To make matters worse, it appears that the honourable gentleman merely has one corrupt endorsement in the World Assembly -- most likely from his own brethren masquerading as a separate nation.

"If your going to bash me for the number of endorsements we have, which I maintain is completely irrelevant as some of the most important contributors to the assembly are not even in the damn thing, you're going to have a bad time, ambassador.

Perhaps the honourable gentleman would like to share his concerns in more detail? And just maybe he would allow us to hear his opinion on the establishment of the WHA itself? Does he not trust the education of its staff? Does he have qualms with its structure? Are there any philosophical reasons for the objection? Because as of now, this seems like an empty criticism without merit.

"It's not empty criticism, I've made my point very clear. I'd like to know what is considered a basic health care system. The WHA does not define this."

The WHA ensures that its physicians on staff endure the most rigorous education and testing before applying for they applied to a residency. Furthermore, board certification is required to be renewed every five years, which is half the amount of time as the international mean of 10 years.

"...I'm sorry? Do you even know what the goal of the WHA is, ambassador, because reading this absolute nonsense convinces me that you haven't read beyond the title."

[States of Glory WA Office]

The WHA ensures that its physicians on staff endure the most rigorous education and testing before applying for they applied to a residency. Furthermore, board certification is required to be renewed every five years, which is half the amount of time as the international mean of 10 years.

Neville, upon hearing this ludicrous statement, does a double take.

"Ambassador, point me to the WA resolution which backs up these claims of 'rigorous education and testing' and board certification needing to be renewed every five years."

"My question is: OK, so a nation is rated Sufficient or not. Then what? It's not clear what, if any, benefits there are to meeting the committee's standards, and what, if any, repercussions there are to failing to do so."

"That's because there are no benefits or repercussions to any of this. What we have here is a completely toothless proposal that does nothing more than add extra paperwork. We'd be slightly more willing to support this if nations were required to meet the WHA's standards, but even then, GA #97 a.k.a Quality in Health Services does a good enough job already. Heck, some could argue that it does too good a job, but that's a discussion for another time."

OOC: Welcome to the Festering Snakepit^TM! You have a good idea somewhere in this proposal, but unfortunately, it's an idea that has already been done better. I encourage you to stick around and get a feel for the General Assembly, and hopefully it'll be second time lucky. Just remember that the IC criticisms presented by our ambassadors are aimed purely at the proposal itself and not at you as a person.

[Bears Armed]

"One single set of criteria to "fit" all nations, regardless of species or technology or environment or hwhatever?"

Artorrios o SouthWoods,
ChairBear, Bears Armed Mission at the World Assembly.

[Excidium Planetis]

"That title is too long." Schultz remarks while walking by. She does not stop to enter the debate chamber.

[The Greater Siriusian Domain]

*Ra'lingth, substitute ambassador and En'gari representative of The Greater Siriusian Domain, slithers into the room, reads the proposal, hisses angrily, facepalms, and then, instead of slithering out of the room, actually decides to give his two cents*

Ra'lingth:"Assss SSSSaveyou Island hassss ssssaid, thissss propossssal failssss to define what a bassssic health care ssssystem issss assss far assss the propossssal issss conccccerned. How do you plan on determining whether a nation'ssss healthcare ssssystem is ssssuficcccient?"

[Democratic-Socialist America]

We will go back to the drawing board and make a more substantive draft available soon. We were hoping to promote elements of competition in order to achieve an international standard using this rating system, so that member states might support this proposal even if they are opposed to broad requirements. That is the reason we set up a system where nations could opt in with the hopes of improving their reputation.

[Democratic-Socialist America]

"My question is: OK, so a nation is rated Sufficient or not. Then what? It's not clear what, if any, benefits there are to meeting the committee's standards, and what, if any, repercussions there are to failing to do so."

Daniella Russel, MA PhD
Representing the office of:
Ambassador Brittany Hepburn
Semi-Permanent Representative to the World Assembly

The hopes were to entice nations to meet the higher standards according to this proposal in order to improve their reputation. A nation should have the motivation to achieve this standard of care to increase its attractiveness among tourists as well as placate the expectations of its own citizens.

[Separatist Peoples]

"My question is: OK, so a nation is rated Sufficient or not. Then what? It's not clear what, if any, benefits there are to meeting the committee's standards, and what, if any, repercussions there are to failing to do so."

Daniella Russel, MA PhD
Representing the office of:
Ambassador Brittany Hepburn
Semi-Permanent Representative to the World Assembly

The hopes were to entice nations to meet the higher standards according to this proposal in order to improve their reputation. A nation should have the motivation to achieve this standard of care to increase its attractiveness among tourists as well as placate the expectations of its own citizens.

Bell laughed, "We have plenty to offer our citizens and tourists. We'll take an Unsatisfactory, or a D-, or whatever it is. I think you'll find most representatives feeling the same way."

[Calladan]

We will go back to the drawing board and make a more substantive draft available soon. We were hoping to promote elements of competition in order to achieve an international standard using this rating system, so that member states might support this proposal even if they are opposed to broad requirements. That is the reason we set up a system where nations could opt in with the hopes of improving their reputation.

Competition in the field of health care just seems wrong on a fundamental level. If one hospital in Calladan is perceived to be better than another, then we encourage the second hospital to learn from the first, rather than pitting them against each other.

[Tinfect]

We will go back to the drawing board and make a more substantive draft available soon. We were hoping to promote elements of competition in order to achieve an international standard using this rating system, so that member states might support this proposal even if they are opposed to broad requirements. That is the reason we set up a system where nations could opt in with the hopes of improving their reputation.

Competition in the field of health care just seems wrong on a fundamental level. If one hospital in Calladan is perceived to be better than another, then we encourage the second hospital to learn from the first, rather than pitting them against each other.

"The Imperium is in agreement. Encouragement of competition in such a matter so critical will be solely damaging in the long run. Desperate attempts to outdo foreign medical centers may result in disasters, mass, unnecessary usage of dangerous, or untested medicines or medical procedures, as a single possibility. The damage such a thing might cause is in no way acceptable.

However, the Imperium further takes exception to the particular mandates of this '"Basic Standards of Care Committee', it appears to be an attempt to create an international standard for medical technologies and practices. This is irrespective of the widely disparate specific needs, or available technologies to Member States. As an example, on New Harron, specifically in the continent of Tinfect, there is a venomous species known as the Rennulin, in medical facilities in which the species is present in the surrounding area, it is required that the medical facilities maintain an amount of antivenom. On, for example, Tallion V, it is entirely unnecessary, as the species is neither present, or able to survive in the environment maintained by the Imperium, as such, the Colony's medical facilities do not maintain stock of the antivenom. Simply put, Ambassador, medications necessary within merely a portion of a single member-state, are by no means necessary for many Member States.

Further, due to the widely disparate technological capacities of Member-States, 'necessary' medications, may simply not exist within certain Member-States, as it is beyond their capacity to create it, or have been made obsolete by more advanced procedures or medications available to a Member-State.

[Excidium Planetis]

If one hospital in Calladan is perceived to be better than another, then we encourage the second hospital to learn from the first, rather than pitting them against each other.

"Isn't that competition?" Schultz says. "Exactly how is 'why aren't you doing what that better hospital is doing' any different from 'you received a lower rating than that hospital over there'? In both cases, the worse hospital is negatively viewed and encouraged to improve to the standard of the other hospital."

"The Imperium is in agreement. Encouragement of competition in such a matter so critical will be solely damaging in the long run."

"Right. So keeping all hospitals at a similarly bad standard is better than encouraging them to do better than average."

[Calladan]

If one hospital in Calladan is perceived to be better than another, then we encourage the second hospital to learn from the first, rather than pitting them against each other.

"Isn't that competition?" Schultz says. "Exactly how is 'why aren't you doing what that better hospital is doing' any different from 'you received a lower rating than that hospital over there'? In both cases, the worse hospital is negatively viewed and encouraged to improve to the standard of the other hospital."

I guess it depends on your perspective.

To me, competition suggests that the good prosper while the bad fail and fall away. Commercial businesses are in competition - if you have two manufacturers of plastic dinglehoppers - "Dinglehoppers of Calladan" and "Handy-Dandy-Dinglehoppers" and DofC make clearly superior plastic dinglehoppers, then DofC will make more money and HDD will go out of business. It's the free market, and while it is not necessarily my favourite thing in the world, it is the way things are.

But if one hospital is doing better than another, we don't let the second hospital fail. We encourage the sharing of knowledge and information so that we can bring up the second hospital to the level of the first. We don't want one to fail and one to prosper - we want them ALL to prosper.

To me that is not competition. It is co-operation.

[Imperium Anglorum]

Competition isn't solely a selection process. It does include changes in price, quality, and other things. The only reason a company would leave the marketplace in the short-run is because they are unable to pay for their immediate costs. It is quite hard to mismanage a company to that level.

[Excidium Planetis]

"Isn't that competition?" Schultz says. "Exactly how is 'why aren't you doing what that better hospital is doing' any different from 'you received a lower rating than that hospital over there'? In both cases, the worse hospital is negatively viewed and encouraged to improve to the standard of the other hospital."

I guess it depends on your perspective.

To me, competition suggests that the good prosper while the bad fail and fall away. Commercial businesses are in competition - if you have two manufacturers of plastic dinglehoppers - "Dinglehoppers of Calladan" and "Handy-Dandy-Dinglehoppers" and DofC make clearly superior plastic dinglehoppers, then DofC will make more money and HDD will go out of business. It's the free market, and while it is not necessarily my favourite thing in the world, it is the way things are.

But if one hospital is doing better than another, we don't let the second hospital fail. We encourage the sharing of knowledge and information so that we can bring up the second hospital to the level of the first. We don't want one to fail and one to prosper - we want them ALL to prosper.

To me that is not competition. It is co-operation.

"Isn't that the idea of this proposal, though? We want all the hospitals to prosper? After all, it is opt in, so hospitals don't 'fail' if they get rated poorly." Schultz responds. "Of course, I didn't really read the latest draft of this too well."

[Calladan]

WHA Classification for a Basic Healthcare System
Health / Healthcare

NOTICING that a lack of access to minimal quality healthcare persists throughout a great number of member-states,

RECOGNIZING that prior resolutions have not been effective enough to rectify the poor quality of care in such countries,

CONCERNED that a lack of standards exists for even the most basic health care system, and

ACKNOWLEDGING the dire need for such a qualification,

THE WORLD ASSEMBLY HEREBY:

I. ESTABLISHES the Basic Standards of Care Committee (BSCC) within the jurisdiction of the World Health Authority (WHA),

II. DELEGATES to the Committee the task of quadrennially publishing a report which includes the minimal criteria for a member nation to be considered as having a basic health care system by the WHA,
a. Once such criteria are met, the member-nation shall be awarded a WHA rating of “Sufficient,”
b. A list of member-nations which meet these criteria are to be included at the end of the report, followed by the individual reasons for revoking a member’s WHA-rating during the period since the last report published, if applicable,
c. If a nation does NOT meet the criteria, no WHA-rating shall be given,

III. REQUIRES that in order to obtain the Committee’s endorsement of having a “basic health-care system,” a member-nation’s health authority must ensure ready access to the WHA’s Core List of Essential Medicines, which the WHA shall review and update every two years,

IV. ENCOURAGES members’ national health authorities to cooperate and establish regional complementary lists of essential medicines, which are to be tailored to treat diseases endemic to that region.

Having returned to re-read this from the top (so to speak) I find myself more or less in support of it.

The fact that it applies at a national level, rather than an individual hospital level, is definitely a good thing, because my worry about pointing at individual hospitals and saying "you suck" (however politely it is said) is that it might cause people who need urgent medical treatment to travel further to a hospital rather than go to one that is nearer, just because some ethereal body in the sky decided to mark it down for one of any number of reasons.

However my one problem with it is this - the "Core List of Essential Medicines" is going to be huge. And I don't mean like "War and Peace" huge, I mean every book ever written by anyone ever huge. (

which ofc would be a near-copy of the WHO's list

) - the thing about the WHO list is that everyone on earth is human and so they all are (from a medical point of view) substantially the same. If you look at the list of races that belong to the WA it stretches far beyond the simple human being and off into near infinity. And what is essentially medicine for a human being is probably going to be wildly different from what is essential medicine for some of the other races in this august establishment.

In addition - if there is a planet on which lives a race of giant winged turtles who haven't developed space flight or interstellar travel, and this planet is at the extreme other end of the known universe compared to Calladan, the likelihood of anyone from that planet coming to Calladan is zero. So forcing Calladan to stock medicine that deemed "essential" to the winged turtles is costly and pointless. Our health system has enough budget problems without having to go out and buy medicine we will NEVER need and NEVER use and will just sit on the shelves until it expires, and then having to buy MORE of the medicine to replace it.

[Democratic-Socialist America]

Having returned to re-read this from the top (so to speak) I find myself more or less in support of it.

The fact that it applies at a national level, rather than an individual hospital level, is definitely a good thing, because my worry about pointing at individual hospitals and saying "you suck" (however politely it is said) is that it might cause people who need urgent medical treatment to travel further to a hospital rather than go to one that is nearer, just because some ethereal body in the sky decided to mark it down for one of any number of reasons.

However my one problem with it is this - the "Core List of Essential Medicines" is going to be huge. And I don't mean like "War and Peace" huge, I mean every book ever written by anyone ever huge. (

which ofc would be a near-copy of the WHO's list

) - the thing about the WHO list is that everyone on earth is human and so they all are (from a medical point of view) substantially the same. If you look at the list of races that belong to the WA it stretches far beyond the simple human being and off into near infinity. And what is essentially medicine for a human being is probably going to be wildly different from what is essential medicine for some of the other races in this august establishment.

In addition - if there is a planet on which lives a race of giant winged turtles who haven't developed space flight or interstellar travel, and this planet is at the extreme other end of the known universe compared to Calladan, the likelihood of anyone from that planet coming to Calladan is zero. So forcing Calladan to stock medicine that deemed "essential" to the winged turtles is costly and pointless. Our health system has enough budget problems without having to go out and buy medicine we will NEVER need and NEVER use and will just sit on the shelves until it expires, and then having to buy MORE of the medicine to replace it.

Unfortunately for many nations, the US of Democratic Socialist America exists on Earth, as in our real-life Earth, so we do not engage or recognize "aliens." If you would like for "aliens," i.e. extra-terrestrials, to be subjects in the matters of the W.A, then please sponsor an amendment to detail as much. As of right now, your idea of of how the universe works is not endorsed by consensus.

[Tinfect]

Unfortunately for many nations, the US of Democratic Socialist America exists on Earth, as in our real-life Earth, so we do not engage or recognize "aliens."

OOC:
You're far too late to be going on about how aliens don't exist in your RP. The Imperium of Tinfect is an interstellar empire, of humans, based on a planet not even remotely near earth, with absolutely no ties to earth. Bears Armed is a nation of Sapient Bears, and they don't seem to live on earth, Wallenburg is a nation populated by near-human entities, Normlpeople is populated by Sapient Technicolor Horses, and Excidium Planetis is made up of Humans from earth that pissed off into Space when bad things happened. If you want to RP in an environment without pure MT/'Real World' elements, the World Assembly isn't really the place to be.

If you would like for "aliens," i.e. extra-terrestrials, to be subjects in the matters of the W.A, then please sponsor an amendment to detail as much. As of right now, your idea of of how the universe works is not endorsed by consensus.

Here's two resolutions (1) (2) that outright contradict that statement and tell me that you haven't so much as bothered to peruse passed legislation.

[Bears Armed]

OOC:
Bears Armed is a nation of Sapient Bears, and they don't seem to live on earth,

Although it obviously isn't a close copy of 'Earth-RL', bearing in mind the shapes of the continents as well as the history, it is an 'Earth' in other respects: Third planet of a star identical to E-RL's sun, same orbit as E-RL, identical moon (apart from maybeso some minor differences in craters' locations, and of course a different history of sapient exploration), planetary size & axial inclination & day-length identical to those of E-RL, basic levels of the chemical elements the same, same basic rock types, same fundamental biochemistry for all of its life-forms, and even verrry similar evolution of life-forms for a long time... Real differences only became apparent when the break-up of our world's equivalent to the RL super-continent Pangaea during the Mesozoic Era followed different lines and thus produced the differing set of continents...