Mississippi’s Department of Health is diseased, plain and simple. And the agency needs to be killed — before someone gets hurt.

If you haven’t followed the saga of the department and its embattled leader, you’ve missed a regular soap opera of state government at its worst.

The drama began several months ago when state senators began exploring allegations that the department wasn’t doing its job well — or at all.

One senator alleges that health inspectors approved a restaurant even though its kitchen was home to live birds and a dead rat.

As rumors of the removal of Dr. Brian Amy, the head of the department, circulated, Amy fired back with a temporary restraining order preventing his removal.

That angered legislators including one who called Amy a “psychopath.” The Board of Health seems incapable of dealing with either the apparently fatal flaws in the system or with Amy.

This week, senators passed a bill that would allow Amy and the existing Board of Health to stay put until the end of June when the agency would be allowed to “sunset” and simply go away. Then a new agency could be formed and a new board could be put into place. This would effectively avoid potential legal disputes by Amy.

Just to be spiteful, however, senators also cut Amy’s pay to $1 per year in the bill they passed.

The state’s public health is no laughing matter and it’s become obvious that Amy hasn’t done a good job in managing the department. Although the Legislature is on the right track in getting rid of Amy, waiting until July 1 puts the state’s public health at too much risk. Emergencies such as this require quick action, not passive attempts to avoid trouble.