Coronavirus: More commitment from private sector is needed
As more COVID-19 cases come to the surface, our public health system is strained to breaking point. Doctors in state and municipal hospitals are complaining of lack of protective gear and medicines. After a ward boy in a private hospital in Patna tested positive for coronavirus, the stepmotherly treatment being accorded to paramedic staff has come to the fore. Many are forced to work with raincoats as protective gear! The frontline requires protective gear, testing kits and ventilators to revive the sick. The Centre and states are leading the battle, but it is time the private sector mobilised too.
There has been a steady trickle of commitments. The Tata Group has pledged Rs 1,500 crore to buy protective gear and testing equipment. ITC has set up a contingency fund of Rs 150 crore. Reliance Industries is contributing Rs 500 crore to the privately registered PM-CARES Fund. Holistically, the private sector’s contribution so far is just Rs 2,700 crore, a pittance compared to the task at hand. The private sector also needs to keep salaries flowing to their employees, especially casual workers, even where production has stopped. In this regard, L&T setting up a Rs 500 crore fund for paying casual workers is exemplary.
The lack of resources to fight COVID-19 has brought to the fore our woefully inadequate outlay on health. The Centre and states put together spent a miserable 1% of GDP in the last few years, much lower than the global average of 7.4%. Hopefully the coronavirus jolt will now ensure more money flows to the health sector. Many international corporations are focusing on direct supply of medical equipment to hot spots. Alibaba is sending out 1.1 million testing kits, 6 million masks and 60,000 protective suits to Africa. Swiss pharma giant Roche is concentrating on producing 4 lakh testing kits a week to meet demand, and fashion-luxury brand Louis Vuitton has turned to producing sanitisers. Taking a leaf from their international peers, maybe Indian companies should divert capacity to producing medical essentials.