Ask HN: Is it time to start an apolitical, decentralized version of WHO?

If an organisation gets too big to keep its act together, perhaps it's time to make it more decentralized and dynamic (the original proposition).

I also honestly don't think working as a volunteer would really get you to understand how something like the WHO is being actually run.

I'm not an expert (would never say otherwise). But the world is full of experts locked in dogmas and lacks those couragious enough to break free, look stupid and try new things.

Software-powered != Software-only. Nonprofit != Startups. Propositions != Complete, bulletproof solutions

I'm afraid that's a normative and oversimplistic statement.

Have you seen, at least, the WHO Twitter/FB feeds? It's acting as a teacher for the global public. So "intergovernmental public health coordination" is definitely not its only job, which it doesn't seem to be doing well. There's no disagreement that it's inherently political but in any case, that wasn't a function I proposed to replace in the first place.

> The decentralized version is just local public health authorities acting without the WHO.

That actually goes with the original proposition and that's the way to go. But the early warning system for these authorities is broken - they got their intel too late.

No, there would (almost) be no policy. That's the point. It's one planet - one health. Which country it is shouldn't matter much.

If a severe case was reported by medical staff in Taiwan, North Korea or where ever it would/should instantly show as potential breakout warning signal on some webpage or dashboard, without having to travel weeks through broken bureaucracies and press.