Play the Game of Life
Ryan Petersen's Blog

The healthcare industry needs a major infusion of distributed knowledge. The majority of people willing to spend a decade of their lives studying to become a doctor are not even given the opportunity to do so. Meanwhile, we put those who do make the cut on a pedastal where they are expected to be some kind of miracle worker. Yet last year we had 98,000 deaths from medical malpractice in the United States.

At the same time, there's a tremendous amount of information out there that has never been easier to access. It seems like a lot of common diseases could even be self-diagnosed on Wikipedia today. And if I know what's wrong with me, why should I have to pay a doctor to get a prescription for the medicine that I already know that I need?

The clearest example of this is malaria pills. If you are traveling to certain tropical countries, you need malaria pills. But you have to pay a doctor for a half-hour long appointment just for the right to buy the malaria pills that you already know you need. Why? Is there a problem with people abusing malaria pills?

Is there some very simple way we can reform this system?

Labels: Africa, healthcare reform, malaria, public health