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Beyond the Board

Sometimes it takes more than a board of directors to ensure an agency or government is safeguarding our interests. This is particularly true in regulation. 

While a country's best interests may not align with international agenda, regulation on behalf of safety and protection is almost always universal. Workarounds to regulation, often allowed of out of self interest or cost, should be tied to international repercussions. 

Regulation of food, markets, environmental epidemiology and other early prevention in novel strains make a difference. 

Upcoming pandemics and outbreaks can be avoided, or at least better addressed, with better regulation. The international community should gather several policy points, measures and international comparisons. The international health community should observe, encourage and report on countries with and without these policies. 

The end of the year COVID-19 WHO report is dynamic and impressive. It is missing policy development and international policy work on regulation, and this is an assertive but necessary expectation.   

While boards of directors and boards of government may wish to minimize safety regulation, environmental and food regulation work-arounds for one country may affect all countries. Regulation comes with many benefits beyond safety. Importantly, regulation assurance is usually accompanied by audits and operational data. Once origins of a novel virus are investigated, regulations already in place help to narrow the lead. Additionally, social issues of regulation violations can help spotlight greater problems. If food regulation continues to be violated, is there a food security issue that the government is unable or unwilling to respond to? Is there a medical education opportunity around alternative use and evidence? If regulation is met, the data can be cross-shared for epidemiological improvements, as well.

Policy development, expectation and enforcement in this arena is an international expectation. We should rise to it. We should become very good at confrontation, assertively and collegially.


The lessons learned in a pandemic response should include policy development and policy accountability. 

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