Topic: Inventory Management

A clinician explains that hospital shortages of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) are the result of "Just-In-Time" inventory management practices adopted from the auto industry. These lean processes prioritize balance sheets over emergency preparedness, leaving facilities with only a week's supply of masks. Meanwhile, hospitals in Washington and California are reportedly facing layoffs or have previously sold off their emergency mobile hospital kits.

At the M Health Summit, Bill Gates discussed using mobile phones to register births and track immunization records in developing nations like Nigeria and India. The initiative aims to use digital records for "inventory management of human resources" to ensure vaccine coverage. The hosts interpret these "patient reminders" as a form of high-tech surveillance and control.