Elsewhere in the hospital a team of official looking people including a young nurse, a fellow wearing glasses writing on a clipboard, a spotlessly clean custodian, and an elderly doctor walked through the halls. Occasionally one of them would point out a hazard, an abandoned stretcher or section of unmarked wet floor for instance, and the suited fellow would write it down. Around this time they were finishing up their tour of the building, none looking too pleased with the results even with the large improvements since the initial decrees.
"Remind me again, why are you doing this inspection personally Minister." The nurse questioned.
"Because I find myself lacking the minimum amount of trust to truly believe my subordinates reports. They may be willing to implement my reforms, but I do not doubt they would try to shroud my eyes and ears since I do not have power in New Winstam outside of my position." The elderly doctor, also known as Minister Vanderbilt, replied.
The impeccably dressed man asked with apparant confusion, "Wait, why would you reform the hospitals if you didn't trust your subordinates? Surely you would want to secure your power first?"
"Because," the Minister smiled, showing off a bit, "of public opinion. The precious Minister of Health wasn't unpopular because of corruption, though his underlings, and by extension my underlings, were a bit unreliable. He was unpopular because of his belief that disease was God's way of controlling population growth and ridding the world of undesirables. I had to show that my Ministry was different, that it would take an active role in this city's wellfare, thus hospital reform."
"Speaking of which," The glasses-wearing man interrupted, "It is the opinion of this 'unreliable subordinate' that you will not get much more from this hospital reform in the short term, we need word of your next moves."
The group made their way out of the hospital and started traveling in the Ministry's dedicated carriage, a fair bit ornate and pompous but that's unavoidable on occasion. "Relax Jacob, I plan to do a small purge while I wait for results from the Cholera and Polio investigative groups."
"A purge?! And what is this about a Polio investigation, I thought you only set uo a Cholera investigation?" Jacod replied, a fair bit shocked.
"Ah, I forgot you were a newer addition. The previous ministry was forced to set up a Polio taskforce shortly before the Minister was forced to resign. About the purge, do not worry, you are not at risk. It's just that certain fools without talent or experience see themselves as special enough to make changes, completely disregarding orders and more often than not failing to consider the consequences. They need experience in the field before they can be useful, and they certainly would not get such experience in their current positions."
"Hmm, I must confess, 'purge' had quite a different connotation from what you seem to have in mind..." They slipped into a somewhat awkward silence for the dozens of minutes it took to return to St. George. Perhaps talks of a purge, albeit a pacifist one, was not the best tinder for conversation.
Walking into his workplace Vnaderbilt stated, "Now I have brought you here Eleanor, Clein. And Jacob, because I wish to hire all of you as permament advisors, partially due to you experience in your particular lines of work and partially due to your different opinions on certain matters. I am afraid we lack the time for complaints, as I need you all to get to work right away. Congratulations on all of your promotions to the advisory board."
"Do we get no chance to refuse?" Nurse Eleanor asked, a twinge amused with Vanderbilt's attitude.
Vanderbilt cocked his head like a bird at that comment, "You could, but I know that all of you would rather be here than anywhere else. I drag you along with me for a reason you know. Now then," a thumo sounds out as an assistant plants a thick stack of paperworke onto the desk. "I have gathered the condensed records of all my employees, mark any who have shown any lack of foresight, experience, or talent. I do not mind how many we will have to demote, my reputation will be enough to bring people of worth under my banner, especially if we are not discriminatory on race or sex. Now then, let's begin."
"Tell me the truth, you conscripted us to help you with the paperwork didn't you?" Jacob accused.
Vanderbilt merely grinned at the suggestion.
