Australia's Bilateral and Multilateral Health Sector Partnership With South Asian Nations

Abstract

Pandemic-related public health crises are important challenges of the 21st century. The COVID-19 pandemic healthcare crisis has resulted in international border closures; healthcare supply value-chain disruptions; increased infections, deaths, and coronavirus vaccine production and rollout issues; vaccine inequity and gaps between supply and demand for healthcare goods and services. This chapter aims to focus on the opportunities and challenges for bilateral and multilateral partnerships between Australia and the eight South Asian nations post pandemic to establish mutually beneficial bilateral and multilateral collaboration and partnerships for production of vaccine, research, and education into the healthcare sector. Australia can share its health expertise related to digital health, medicare, medical technologies, production of life-saving vaccines, and access to affordable and accredited quality of healthcare for combined 2 billion people living in South Asia and Australia, which is the key to meeting UNSDGs of good health, well-being for all, economic progress, and prosperity of South Asian nations.