With Covid 19 continuing to hit badly and the world looking forward towards a post pandemic policy shift and investments, the Investment Promotion Agencies (IPAs) across the globe are promoting new investments in the health sector. Apart from this, they also help the countries to fight sanitary issues and to mitigate its economic effects.
In a survey of 53 IPAs (Promoting investment in health post-pandemic: A global trend?), the UNCTAD said that IPAs also promoted new investments in sectors that are in high demand. Noting that the IPAs gave much importance to health sector, the UNCTAD said that more than half of IPAs feature this sector online as a priority for investment.
NATIONAL PRIORITY AND INVESTMENT
The UNCTAD analysis said that IPAs in developing countries emphasised on health infrastructure and medical services as drivers of growth. In Developed countries, the IPA gave importance to digitalization in opening new market segments in health as part of value proposition. The United States, United Kingdom, Germany are countries that target health related investments and promote a range of sector specific financial and fiscal incentives. This includes Special Economic Zones. Some IPAs also promoted medical cities, health clusters and parks in their countries.
ONLINE
The analysis found that 75 per cent of agencies in developed countries and 42 per cent in developing countries promoted investment in health through their outreach and engagement activities online. They mainly promoted investment opportunities on manufacturing of medical devices, pharmaceuticals and vaccines, production of personal protection equipment, and digital health. However, the analysis says of significant disparity in the quality and quantity of information provided online among IPAs.
The analysis says that healthcare system is an important cross cutting determinant for economic development and investment. The governments across the world are increasingly recognising this, and is reflected across policies aimed at resilient recovery.
