The ASEAN countries have generally fared well during the COVID-19 pandemic. Although gaps remain in coverage and performance, the number of cases and deaths have not been as high as countries such as UK or US, even adjusting for different population sizes, health spending and national wealth.
Speed, strong partnership between political and scientific leadership, and societal support are three important factors that have contributed to this.
But while individual countries may perform decently in a pandemic like COVID-19, can the region collectively perform outstandingly by working more closely together?
In an opinion piece contributed to Think Global Health, Dr Khor Swee Kheng, Associate Professor Jeremy Lim, Associate Professor Hsu Li Yang and Tan Sri Dr Jemilah Mahmood wrote:
This COVID-19 pandemic is an opportunity, or even an incentive, for increased ASEAN collaboration.
We believe that there is an opportunity to create an ASEAN Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) as a formal entity sponsored by ASEAN and operating on a scientific, evidence-based and collaborative agenda.
This is consistent with relevant parts of the ASEAN COVID-19 Summit held virtually on April 14, 2020.
There is a clear need for an ASEAN CDC now as the pandemic moves into the ‘recovery but vigilance’ phase, which will require greater cooperation beyond national borders. Even after the COVID-19 pandemic, such a CDC will increase Southeast Asia’s health security because pandemics and regional epidemics will recur.
The authors suggest ways on where to begin in establishing an ASEAN CDC, its initial functions, funding and staffing, as well as existing centres and platforms whose infrastructures and networks can serve as building blocks.
COVID-19 presents a real-life situation that can be used to build the first iteration of an ASEAN CDC, and then refine it when this pandemic is over.
COVID-19 is the baptism by fire that ASEAN needs to create an effective and durable CDC, both to resolve this pandemic now and to prepare for future ones.
Read the full piece here:
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Dr Khor Swee Kheng is a visiting senior fellow at the United Nations University International Institute of Global Health.
Assoc Prof Jeremy Lim is Director of the Leadership Institute for Global Health Transformation (LIGHT) at SSHSPH.
Assoc Prof Hsu Li Yang is Vice Dean (Global Health) at SSHSPH.
Tan Sri Dr Jemilah Mahmood is special advisor to the prime minister of Malaysia on public health.