Multilateralism Through Public-Private Partnerships Are Key to Flattening the COVID-19 Curve

Kenyan nurses wear protective gear during a demonstration of preparations for any potential coronavirus cases at the Mbagathi Hospital, isolation centre for the disease, in Nairobi. Credit: Quartz Africa March 2020By Paul Polman, Myriam Sidibe and Siddharth ChatterjeeNAIROBI, Kenya, Apr 17 2020 (IPS) The UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has said that now is “a defining moment for modern society. History will judge the efficacy of the response not by the actions of any single set of government actors taken in isolation, but by the degree to which the response is coordinated globally across all sectors for the benefit of our human family.” Governments, the private sector, and development institutions need to come together in innovative ways not just to flatten the curve of infection and mitigate the economic disruption, but also to prepare for the new normal of the post-Covid world in Africa and the rest of the world.Greater partnership between the public and private sectors is going to be critical. The fight to flatten the coronavirus curve is an acid test for stakeholder capitalism and especially for multilateralism. As Covid-19 continues to spread sickness and death, Africa has so far escaped the worst effects. The continent’s lagging health care infrastructure, however, makes it highly vulnerable if the virus reachesthe high-velocity community transmission we have seen in Italy, Spainand New York.Not only are health systems delicate,but crucial medical supplies ...
Source: IPS Inter Press Service - Health - Category: International Medicine & Public Health Authors: Tags: Africa Economy & Trade Headlines Health Humanitarian Emergencies Labour TerraViva United Nations Source Type: news