NSW Health launches VirtualADULTS. Yes, seriously [Video]

There are times in government when even the most obviously effective, common-sense, efficient, innovative and have-to-happen programs could do with a little extra help from marketing, especially on the branding front.

Like what not to call things.

Even if they are the most rock-solid solutions to persistent and pernicious problems, like having to sit in the Emergency Department of a public hospital to deal with a basic issue ordinarily handled by a clearly unavailable primary health provider such as a general practitioner.

So it was on Wednesday, when, on the same day the Commonwealth government passed new laws to ban under-16-year-olds from social media platforms because of exposure to nasties, NSW Health Minister Ryan Park launched what will almost certainly be a future episode of Utopia.

The backstory is that kids (or their parents) have had a virtual dial-a-quack service for a while, sparing the drive to casualty and the epic wait thereafter. Now grown-ups are getting …