In his talk on a possible virus outbreak in the nearest future, Bill Gates addresses a range of urgent issues of global healthcare. In particular, Gates emphasizes the significance of preparedness for a potential epidemic in the years to come.
The speaker highlights the reasons for the global ill-preparedness for pandemics. Firstly, the global community has “invested a huge amount in nuclear deterrence,” whereas “a system to stop an epidemic” obtains very little funding (TED Talks Subtitles, 2017, 01:12). Further, the healthcare system to arrest epidemics is virtually underdeveloped. For instance, during the Ebola epidemics, there were no sufficient human resources. Indeed, healthcare lacked epidemiologists to explore and immediately report the extent of the problem, and “a medical team ready to go” and tackle the virus (TED Talks Subtitles, 2017, 02:07). In much the same way, the coronavirus outbreak demonstrates limited access to information and a lack of immediate actions.
There is a range of steps to combat a possible pandemic in the future. First of all, global healthcare must strongly rely on modern technologies, such as cellphones, satellite maps, and the like, to trace and immediately report a pandemic spread. Moreover, the advances in medical and biological research must focus on innovative ways for diagnostics, treatment, and vaccination. Yet another essential step in achieving global preparedness is a restructuring of the healthcare system following the military pattern.
Hence, the healthcare system should be staffed in the same manner as the army is. Bill Gates provides an example that the military has “full time waiting to go,” “reserves that can scale up to large numbers,” and “a mobile unit that can deploy very rapidly” (TED Talks Subtitles, 2017, 05:46–05:55). In other words, a global healthcare team must enroll a broad spectrum of epidemiologists and physicians with relevant training and skills. Besides, healthcare activities must follow the example of the military in terms of constant practice and simulations, thus ensuring a fast response.
Thus, Bill Gates effectively brings public attention to the problem of impending pandemics and the global lack of readiness. The abovementioned tools for combating epidemics are available nowadays, and the suggested ways to get prepared are quite feasible. Therefore, the coordinated efforts of the world community constitute the only prerequisite for ensuring preparedness for potential epidemics in the future.
Reference
TED Talks Subtitles. (2017). Bill Gates: The next outbreak? We’re not ready. Youtube. Web.