Step 15; Aegle Phase 2: Full Medical Facilities

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At this stage, Augury should be a self-sustaining habitable environment, even able to fund itself. The first application of this funding should be towards the upgrading of our central medical facilities. From this point forwards, no denizen of Augury should ever have to worry about receiving adequate healthcare. Healthcare must be publicly run, publicly funded, and publicly offered through the Aegle department—the physical wellbeing of the people should never be operated for profit or without oversight of said people. Population and tourism intake should be closely monitored at this stage to ensure that medical staff are not overwhelmed or overworked. With a little help from Minerva, Aegle will eventually be able to process higher quantities of data to provide prognostics, diagnostics, and treatment more efficiently. To name a few examples, machines can help Aegle workers perform and analyze noninvasive scans, design and 3D print casts for broken bones, analyze blood, operate surgical robots, sequence genes, and recommend medicine based on biological data. At any point, the human technician will have the ability to override or disable the machine assist if it becomes a hindrance.

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This first central healthcare facility should be built with a very high capacity, at least 10%-20% higher than the total population at all times to prevent the possibility of overflow. Space should also be allocated for future expansions. Empty multipurpose/storage space could also be maintained in case of internal or external refugees. Furthermore, the spread of disease is a major concern in an enclosed, air-tight space like Augury. Fortunately, there's a simple way to help reduce it: bacteria, yeasts, and viruses are rapidly killed on metallic copper surfaces due to the oligodynamic effect, so Aegle facilities (as well as other high-traffic areas) should be fitted with copper or brass fixtures, including handrails, light switches, and more. This paired with nanofilters and UV lighting in healthcare facilities will greatly reduce spread of pathogens.

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The facility should have a central location that is easily reached, with dedicated infrastructure established by Hermes to minimize the time before a patient can receive treatment. Consider installing some kind of automated emergency transport system that fulfills the same need as ambulances—perhaps some pneumatic capsule network, or a dedicated high-speed tram system. In such a dangerous environment as the ocean, Aegle and its facilities should maintain emergency contingency plans for every eventuality and drill them regularly. Preventative maintenance will make a big difference to this end—Take a potential pandemic, for example. In a closed system like Augury, there's no room for optional protection against deadly disease. If a disease becomes a significant issue in Augury, Physicality and Aegle will work closely together to develop a vaccine or other treatment, or acquire one from another country if necessary. This treatment would become mandatory to all eligible citizens, to protect the health of citizens too weak or otherwise unable to accept the treatment. Electing to abstain from the treatment, which should be considered dangerously selfish, should result in expulsion or revocation of citizenship.

Beyond emergency preparedness, Aegle will also pursue the improvement of the quality of life of humanity. This includes facilities for manufacturing medication, so as to provide them at minimal cost. Insulin, for example, can be easily manufactured using genetically modified bacteria—and since people need it to live, shouldn't it be inexpensive? Much like the Open Insulin Foundation, Aegle should have facilities to manufacture insulin, providing it for free to citizens and eventually distributing it internationally at cost, as well as working with Hephaestus to manufacture the equipment so people can manufacture insulin themselves. Additionally, Aegle should also house facilities for the design and manufacture of  a wide variety of prosthetics and replacement parts. Modern science has progressed to the point of being able to manufacture excellent replacements for a variety of body parts, including bones, internal organs, skin, and entire limbs. Aegle should be constantly researching and improving these methods to help replace what victims of serious injuries have lost, and make their lives easier. Sometimes, however, advanced technology isn’t the answer to an ailment, and the simplest solution is often the best. Aegle workers should avoid polypharmacy, the overuse of prescribed medication, and understand that prescribing medication is sometimes unnecessary when a change in lifestyle will more effectively alleviate the problem. The flexibility of lifestyle afforded by Physicality and Mentality enables the individual to pursue simple solutions for simple problems, like tea for a stomach ache or pineapple juice for a cough—but encourages them to seek professional medical help for a persisting ailment.

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Aegle should also pursue the possibilities of gene therapy—to repair, never to improve (on human beings). CRISPR Cas9 is a promising new technology which, simply put, enables researchers to “cut and paste” genes very easily and inexpensively. Geneticists have just begun to explore the potential of this inexpensive and easy gene therapy, so Aegle facilities should oversee a research lab dedicated to potentially beneficial applications. These applications may include anything from curing genetic conditions and maladies to perhaps even some kinds of cancer. Eventually, technology provided by Apollo and Minerva will enable Aegle to run powerful simulation programs for gene sequencing to improve research. Demeter can also use CRISPR to produce more durable strains of plants which can thrive with reduced space and sunlight more easily, or even underwater.

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To summarize: the main medical facilities of Augury should serve as a care and therapy ward, but also as a top-of-the-line research center. The goal of Aegle should be the improved physical health of all people—citizens prioritizes, but not citizens alone. It should share data and resources worldwide as it is able to. Healthcare is not a competition. It is a common goal.