Covid-19 presents a moment for transformative change in the world, not doing so will be disastrous

The last two weeks have seen two extremely important developments in global health. First on 5 May came the US government’s announcement that it would support a TRIPS Waiver on intellectual property rights in relation to Covid-19 vaccines (read our Explainer here). 

Then came the publication on May 12th of the report and recommendations of the Independent Panel for Pandemic Preparedness and Response (the report and all its background documents can be found here).

South Africa can be commended for playing a leading role in both. Together with India, we were the original sponsors of the TRIPS waiver proposal to the World Trade Organization (WTO). Our former DG of Health, Precious Matsoso, is a member of the Panel.

The two breakthroughs are not unconnected. In fact, let’s put it another way, they are intricately connected: the success of a TRIPS waiver depends on it being implemented within a broader programme of health reform that tips the balance towards a human right to health.

In my view, the Panel report should be considered one of the most visionary and radical — but eminently rational and reasonable — reports on the reform of global health systems to have been published for decades. Perhaps for this very reason, we can predict with some certainty that governments and private powers are not going to act on its recommendations. This is because implementing the recommendations requires a huge reinvestment in public health; the weakening of private monopolies over medicines, medical technologies and parts of health systems; and the strengthening of multilateralism and human rights.

What is recommended?

The Panel’s recommended actions are summarised here. They fall under seven sub-headings which, they say, are necessary “to ensuring that a future outbreak does not become a pandemic.” 

Each recommendation is linked directly back to evidence of what has gone wrong (called the ‘defining moments’ of the pandemic). The seven, which the panel warns “must be implemented in their entirety” if they are to be successful are:

1. Elevate pandemic preparedness and response to the highest level of political leadership;


2. Strengthen the independence, authority and financing of World Health Organisation (WHO);


3. Invest in preparedness now to prevent the next crisis;


4. A new agile and rapid surveillance information and alert system;


5. Establish a pre-negotiated platform for tools and supplies;


6. Raise new international financing for pandemic preparedness and response;


7. National Pandemic coordinators have a direct line to Head of State or Government.

• “High-income countries with a vaccine pipeline for adequate coverage should, alongside their scale-up, commit to provide to the 92 low and middle-income countries in the Gavi Covax Advance Market Commitment with at least one billion vaccine doses by September 2021.”


• “That major vaccine-producing countries and manufacturers should convene, under the joint auspices of the WHO and the World Trade Organization (WTO) to agree to voluntary licensing and technology transfer.” In a bold move, the Panel adds that “If actions on this don’t occur within three months, a waiver of intellectual property rights under TRIPS should come into force immediately.”


• “The G7 should immediately commit to provide 60% of the $19-billion required for the Access to Covid-19 Tools Accelerator (ACT-A) in 2021 for vaccines, diagnostics, therapeutics, and strengthening of health systems, and a burden-sharing formula should be adopted to fund such global public goods on an ongoing basis.”