Policy-makers must heed the lessons offered by the COVID-19 pandemic, says a UWindsor instructor of business and economics.
Apr 7th, 2020
A UWindsor instructor of business and economics has issued a call for policy-makers to heed the lessons offered by the COVID-19 pandemic.
In an opinion piece published by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation on Sunday, April 5, Imran Abdool, a lecturer in economics and finance, and Hance Clarke, director of pain services at Toronto General Hospital, argue that Canada could have been much better prepared for this outbreak.
“We didn’t make the investments we should have in health care before this crisis hit,” they write. “While COVID-19 is a tragedy, we should not let it become a double tragedy by repeating our mistakes.”
They detail four lessons:
- government must invest in health care research and development;
- supplies of equipment and drugs cannot depend on the profit motive;
- good economies are the time to establish surge-capacity in health care; and
- continued productivity must account for the needs of an aging population.