The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID19) pandemic has caused “an unprecedented surge in the demand for Medical Products” (Advamed, 2020a). US Supply Chain Against COVID-19. Appropriate medical equipment such as personal protective equipment (PPE), ventilators, tests, supply, and equipment were not prepared to meet this increased demand, leading to shortages (Ranny, Griffett & Jah, 2020). Many of these devices are still on the food list and FDA Medical Device Shortage.

During the COVID19 pandemic, hospitals across the globe, many of which have taken a just-in-time approach to purchasing and managing inventory to increase profits, already have stock limited as PPE and they are forced to reuse PPE to avoid running out of supply. The inability to carry out an adequate number of diagnostic tests quickly hampered efforts to track the speed and spread of COVID19.

Solution

Development cooperation will be at the forefront of the fight against COVID19 in developing countries. As economic and public health crises gradually affect developing countries, including those most in need, national resources will be stretched, and external funding sources will be stretched. being called for more and more. It is important to ensure that immediate responses to the crisis are in place and that health systems are strengthened to build resilience to future shocks. There are other areas where development finance will play an important role, including as a financial safety net, but this note focuses on specific aspects of the health sector.

Better surveillance and closing gaps in pandemic preparedness

It is important to improve tracking of pandemic preparedness financing, for example, by including it as a separate element in the OECD creditor reporting system. This will facilitate the accountability of development partners for the commitments they make. DAC members and other development partners can also assist with pandemic preparedness by using the Joint External Evaluation (JEE) mechanism or other readiness indicators as one of the criteria for guiding lead donor funding or providing technical assistance to help countries improve their preparedness.

Leverage and share technical expertise in “fixed cost” items such as epidemiological modeling and response support at both national and regional intervention levels.

Promote best practices in crisis financing and response policy. The DAC can provide a forum to discuss areas of intervention in which development finance providers can identify synergies in addressing the impacts of COVID19 and enhancing development efforts. now available. This could include investing in urban infrastructure with greater distances between people, providing WASH facilities, developing contactless payments, and more. These solutions must be identified, shared, and disseminated.

Use all available channels: Bilateral donors have the advantage of having access to a variety of networks. It can provide a gateway to disseminate best practices, including foundations, civil society, community groups, and research centers. Development banks also need to play the role of responsible investors. This means that you need to adopt best practices for companies that invest to slow the spread of the virus.

Being prepared is the fastest and most cost-effective way to address global health risks. It is important to take precautions to manage and prevent this risk of recurrence. This allows us to respond to crises faster and free up resources in a more rational way. As during the Ebola outbreak, humanitarian aid may be mobilized more slowly. Since then, a number of rapid response mechanisms have been put in place that have contributed to improved readiness.