(ART PAPIER, MD, and PARITOSH PRASAD, MD for THE HILL – JUNE 12, 2020)
We are in the midst of an unprecedented global health crisis that is laying bare serious shortcomings in the American health system. With one of the largest numbers of infected citizens of any nation, our public health defenses have been overrun and we have fallen back on our front-line healthcare staff, nurses, doctors and emergency providers working tirelessly to blunt the deadly impact of the COVID-19 pandemic while running short of essential equipment and facing overwhelming odds.
As a nation, we will spend a staggering $7.9 trillion in response to this epidemic and incur a similarly stunning loss in GDP. But history, common sense, and the examples of many other first-world nations make one thing crystal clear: it did not have to be like this. With a very small investment relative to other federal agencies and a tiny fraction of current spending on the pandemic response, we could have had a well-developed, evidence-based pandemic plan with experts trained and ready to execute it efficiently and effectively to save American lives.
One reason we have struggled and suffered so much more than most of our first-world peers is we have lost sight of our national faith in public health. Breathing new life into our nation’s public health system is not just possible, it’s critical for making our country much better prepared for the next public health crisis.