With an economy much more dependant on tourism than ours, Thailand has done superbly on the Covid front. A rigorously enforced prohibition on foreign visitors and many other restraints, has resulted in 95 deaths compared with our 25. But, Thailand’s population is 14 times ours, or, extrapolated, we would have less than two deaths on the same basis.
That said the Thai government is under enormous pressure from the tourist industry thus some highly conditional relaxations have occurred for selected areas. For example, tourists with vaccine certification can now visit those locations.
But here’s the really interesting idea.
The Thai government has agreed to allow major corporations carry out vaccines for those who can afford to pay the circa NZ$100 fee.
This is profitable for the corporations and a savings for the government, both financially and in helping by bringing in the private sector achieve the goal of vaccinating the populace; all perfectly logical.
Imagine that happening in our mother knows best nanny state.
Meanwhile in Italy in which, like everywhere else, the vaccination programme is deemed to be a function that only the state is capable of handling, not-withstanding the overwhelming evidence that in every human activity the private sector outperforms the state, so the media reports a fed-up Italian businessman has flown to Moscow to buy a vaccine.
The New Zealand vaccination programme, despite our head of the queue nonsense, trails almost every other country.
We accept the superiority of the private sector with other medical treatments, thus the widespread usage of health insurance. Why then not accept it for covid vaccinations?
The cold, hard irrefutable fact is that in all human activities the private sector always outperforms the state.
The state’s prime role is as a rule setter and it should only supply services which are necessary but unprofitable, such as our railways, police and so on.
On the evidence I for one would readily accept the Sputnik vaccine and happily pay for it and I don’t doubt so would a sizeable sector of our population. So why not allow this in lieu of the bumbling virtual non-performance by the state to date?
8 Comments
Exactly on the money here Bob. Well done
Agree with your views on private Vs public sector. Have demonstrated that myself in the primary health sector.
The issues of Covid and vaccines is another matter entirely. Untested treatment being foisted on the global population. The acknowledgement that vaccines do not stop any spread of the virus, and generally enhance it. The indemnity from prosecution for vaccine manufacturers. The simple fact alone that no vaccine is necessary for Covid……
Cannot agree more. From the team of 5m, now we have the experiment on 5m. Barking mad. Sir Bob, you are a reader, I challenge you to read “Dissolving Illusions, Disease, Vaccines and the forgotten History – authors Dr Suzanne Humphries & Roman Bystrianyk (2013). Probably now unavailable in Amazon with the removal of all opposition to the narrative.
Well Thailand was doing superbly, but just recently less so, getting their highest number of cases yesterday : 967
Thailand has borders about as efficient as the US Mexico one today. They keep getting outbreaks from illegal immigrants and then fight the spread.
Their vaccine implementation has been equally as ineffective as ours. With an economy 70% reliant on tourism and a monarchy/police state running everything they are struggling.
However, the minute they have the private sector offering vaccination I will book my flight.
I will also be purchasing my future accommodation.
This Government has no interest in improving productivity and if it had would have not the slightest clue as to how to go about it.
The vaccine debacle is just the tip of the iceberg of their utter incompetence supported by their ideological fallacies.
This sounds so simple, but will result in nothing more than bidding up the price of the vaccine for the masses.
Might I suggest importing your own vaccine.
We were always going to be at the back of the queue, when $20 billion profit gets exported to offshore owners.
This government/country is bankrupt because of public asset sales to offshores interest, and raising taxes on whats left of the middle class is not even paying the interest bill on loans.
And the ex politicians who sold us down the road are now working for these offshore interests
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[…] The cold, hard irrefutable fact is that in all human activities the private sector always outperforms the state. The state’s prime role is as a rule setter and it should only supply services which are necessary but unprofitable, such as our railways, police and so on. Bob Jones […]