COVID-19: Enhancing healthcare infrastructure to combat the pandemic

The ongoing COVID-19 crisis has severely strained the hospital infrastructure, as the disease has claimed over 100,000 lives in less than three months with many infected countries yet to hit their peaks in number of cases. On the frontline are healthcare providers including doctors, nurses and the support staff that require required infrastructure to combat the outbreak.

In order to collectively combat the COVID-19 pandemic, here’s how hospitals can HALT and review their preparedness plan  

Enabling social distancing in hospitals

• Offer online outpatient services wherever possible to cut down footfalls at any given time.

Ensuring continued supply of inventory

• Most hospitals maintain inventory that lasts up to 1 or 1.5 months. In the current situation, ensure there is sufficient inventory for up to three months.

Maintaining adequate staff

• Implement Business Continuity Planning protocols to ensure adequate doctor and nursing staff are available for patient care.

Raising necessary financing

• Consider funding through alternate options as opposed to increasing debt, with a view to manage cash flows.

Grant Thornton’s Pharma team can help you navigate current business and operational challenges by drawing on years of experience of working with industry leaders.