Public-Private Partnerships in India’s Covid-19 Response: Exploring Private Sector Perspectives on Pandemic Lessons and Future Pandemic Preparedness

Abstract

Crises like Covid-19 pandemic have proved that even strong health systems can collapse without strategic preparation for pandemic emergencies. India’s private sector is integral in having control over the Covid-19 pandemic through various Public-Private Partnerships (PPPs). Knowing it is crucial to understand that how India is handling the Covid-19 crisis, we looked at great examples of PPPs in India in response to Covid-19 and conducted a qualitative study with 10 key informant interviews with several key stakeholders from notable private organizations to gain insights from their experiences on those partnerships. The pandemic was described by participants as an unprecedented tragedy at the start, but it was also seen as an opportunity for reform the weak healthcare system, for growth in innovations and addressing long standing health problems. There is a need for direct communication between policy makers and ground level implementers for clear and concise feedback and understanding of the policies. Also, challenges from dealing with different systems within private health sector prompted to have strong regulatory body for fragmented private health sector. For future pandemic preparation, it was suggested by participants that the government must have a designated crisis response team/taskforce with integrated surveillance system with the private sector. India has been successful in leveraging the use of innovations, digital technology, pharmaceutical and startup workforces, and its robust PPPs to combat the pandemic. However, there were also a lot of lessons learned from hasty policies to management mishaps which can be improved through effective engagement with the private sector.