Time To Grow | Mayor Cham's Speech [Open Q&A]

Did they really have to vote for me?

While radical ideas are floating around in my mind, a bet between me and a few of the other porters was not meant to be reality. Now I have a District to run, and I am 20 dollars out of pocket. It all goes by so quick. Boxes packed with Georgie’s and I’s belongings, and we are the door already. There is no time to settle in though, a speech needs to be read and legislation needs to be written.

I need help!

It has been nearly thirteen years since I was last stood on the stage outside of The College, there is the same unease in the air especially now that the Capitol has refused to increase aid for the District, and I am the one they now have to turn to. Parson Cham, the kid with the immature games background that cheated death. That was a whole decade ago. I am not just in charge of my own world now, but I need to make sure Georgie’s is one worth living in. I have nearly three years to fix the mess in our home, the same amount of time until her name is in that reaping pot. I at least want control over one thing.

I need help!

Shuffling through the prompt cards that are filled with scribbles I spent all night penning and throwing into the trash cans, I wait until the crowd settles slightly before beginning. ”I would like to first thank everyone for entrusting me in the role of mayor. Many of you will be questioning my ability in this post but I can promise you now, I will not let any of you down. District Six is more than just my home.

I have taken on this post at an uneasy time for District Six. We have been battling against the Rose Plague for months and while I commend all of your hard work, it seems the Capitol has overlooked us and the money pot has not been topped up as much as we would have liked.” Oddly enough, the words seem to be flowing quite easily. There is a millisecond break between some sentences as I clear my throat, it not so used to this amount of hard work. ”But I have plans set out to try and tackle this and prove to the Capitol that the aid channels should be strengthened.

The first great change to District Six that I would like to announce is that I will be forming a council within the mayoral office. There will be nine roles within this council, more if there is interest. Applications are open to all citizens in District Six who are nineteen years old and over. Two roles are already filled and that will be our High Council Liaison and a new role Victor Liaison which Theodore Ursa will take.

The other roles will be secretaries in charge of different sectors within our industry, including nursing, pharmaceutical and medical sciences, allied health professionals, medical and surgical doctors. Each role will be filled by an existing professional in the fields so if you are interested, application forms are available inside The College.

The three final roles will be an Outbreak Response Officer who will learn from the positives and negatives of our Rose Plague response and will work on preparing for and preventing any further pandemics. The Citizens Liaison Secretary will oversee all other aspects of District life including improved housing, rations and morale amongst other things.

Finally, the Education and Training Secretary will be in charge of all education in the District in the schools and colleges and the new Teaching Hospital which will open its doors next week in the existing hospital that is just a block away from here. Patients will receive treatment, therapies, and surgeries at the hospital at a reduced cost but will be tended to by staff in training. Now that brings me to the next legislation.”

Now onto the controversial legislation but one that should have been implemented long ago. I pushed so many bodies around the hospitals and District. Their cause of death was due to botched surgeries and home brewed medicines, done by the unskilled and self-proclaimed professionals. The money pot is running dry, and I cannot afford to pay for all of these failures. It is a shame the Capitol will not share their technologies that brought me back to life, maybe District Six could change its industry to Spa Therapies if that was the case.

”All healthcare professionals treating patients, from nurses, to surgeons, to psychiatrists, to pharmacy manufacturers, to dietitians and many more must be registered with the new District Six Council of Healthcare Professionals before they can practice in this District. A list of all these professions can be found in information leaflets and posters around the District. The registration may seem like another piece of red tape for some, but this will reduce the amount of unskilled workers causing harm and taking advantage of desperate patients.

Hopefully with the reduced costs of care within the new Teaching Hospital that will also have a community roving team to reach patients in their homes, it will make healthcare accessible to all. Licenses will have to be renewed every two years but there will be a one-year grace period for all current healthcare professionals to gain their registration. Anyone that has undertaken formal training or gained experience at any of the approved institutions will be eligible for registration.

In a year's time, it will be against the law for anyone found to be practicing without a valid registration licenses. Peacekeepers will be strengthening their checks once the legislations comes into place.

And finally, research and innovation will be a major item on my agenda and something I hope you all strive for. Many other Districts have evolved their industries and it is time that District Six grew with them too. Any innovative or study ideas should be brought to the new secretaries once they are in the post and funding will be allocated to all approved projects.

Thank you again for entrusting me with our District. I am now ready to take any questions?” I pause, finally taking a long breath as I wait for the support or the inevitable groans. I have not done too bad for the numb porter that has only been known as the piss boy for so many years. I have learnt a lot in the corridors of the hospitals…