An international process of arriving at consensus for chartering course over global health is right now an urgent geoeconomics imperative. America as a solo superpower projecting vast power via economic means had to face major defeat as all her president’s horses and men failed to contain and control the Corona virus.
Lessons learnt from the recent pandemic proved that a country or a group of countries like G7 cannot tackle an issue that affects the entire globe without the participation of all the countries. Besides, the binary approach of East versus West has also failed miserably to see light at the end of tunnel. More importantly, even with the kind of expertise in biology and virology, the west stonewalled on their refusal to lift property rights over anti-virus inoculation despite the fact that President Biden openly declared in May 2021 his support for temporary waiver of these rights.
It is in the backdrop of these developments, a leaf from the adage “prevention is better than cure” induced the international community that instead of wrangling over intellectual rights of pharma companies they concentrate on their own initiative, upon the subject of global health governance so that in future the globe as a whole would not be caught in similar epidemic awaiting to happen, and if happened, that could put it asunder the entire geoeconomics world order.
In addition to approve vaccines from China, Russia and the developing world where medical research is making great strides as in the case of India who was once dubbed as the World Pharmacy the need to build a firewall against future viruses raising their heads be curtailed and quarantined. Curiously, many suggestions are expressed from different quarters as regards to the purpose and mission of such global governance:
1. Preventive measures: Public health as a major social overhead must be recognised as such and a substantial amount be allocated in the annual budget proposal of every country. This amount could be tied to a percentage of the GDP
2. Proactive measures: Countries must band together in regional or sub-regional form in public health clubs that seek to take all necessary steps regarding proactive measures to avoid any such epidemic taking place in their domain. If necessary the members in the club must take concerted actions in affected countries outside their respective club from where tourists and travellers arrive on their shores
3. Data collection & analysis: This relates to each and every data on the size, scope and spread of any contiguous disease that had the potential for wide-spread distribution. Occurrence, symptoms, treatment and post recovery complications and convalescence procedures must be collated and shared among members and concerned international bodies
4. Burden sharing: If and when a member or country outside the club declares emergency and call for international support, steps must be taken to send all necessary requirements including inoculation, drugs and other public health products such as oxygen, ventilators, mobile care vehicles, make-shift hospitals and many others.
5. Financial aid: A consolidated fund be established under the auspices of the public health club in order to support beleaguered nations that are unable to generate income within their shores to manage items 1, 2 and 3 of the suggestions listed above. For example countries like Lebanon cannot stand on its own even securing economic survival let alone managing public health. The contribution to this fund may be voluntary or compulsory as an individual member country deems fit.
Cheers!
Muthu
Ashraff Rajulu
Business Strategist
Mobile: + 94 777 265677
E-mail: cosmicgems@gmail.com
Blog: Business Strategist
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