Experts are hoping the Government’s Royal Commission of Inquiry into Aotearoa’s Covid-19 response will help prepare the nation for future pandemics.
Yesterday, the Prime Minister announced that the Government would be launching the inquiry, which has been asked to investigate the overall response, including the economic response, identify what New Zealand can learn from it and how it can be applied to any future pandemic.
Both Otago University Epidemiologist Dr Michael Baker and NZ Initiative chairperson Roger Partridge have heavily advocated for the inquiry and today they told Breakfast that the “lessons learnt” through the report will be essential.
"This is critical," Partridge said.
"We closed our border to a million Kiwis overseas for more than two years; we shut down our biggest city for more than six months; we had one of the strictest lockdowns in the world."
He said that both New Zealand’s health shortfalls and overall response are critical aspects of what should be investigated.
"Part of the reason for that was because our health system wasn’t resilient as it perhaps might’ve been; we had the fewest ICU beds in the OECD per capita, but there are lessons for us to learn both about our preparedness for the pandemic and the way we conducted our policy," Partridge said.
The balance of the elimination strategy and management of the MIQ system are two issues critics say should be included.
Baker said the frequency of pandemics similar to Covid-19 shows the need for the report - so New Zealand is ready for when the next one hits.
"Unfortunately, the frequency of these global pandemics and emergencies have increased; we’ve had seven public health emergencies declared sins SARS in 2003.
"We really do need to learn from this, so we’re better prepared for the future," Baker said.
While both men welcomed the inquiry, there were doubts - Partridge believes the scope and parameters of the inquiry are too narrow and should be focusing on things beyond health itself.
"Public health requires a weighing of costs and benefits; for example, the benefit of stopping the pandemic by closing schools has to be weighed up against the costs to wellbeing.
"Nowhere in the terms of reference is the commission expressly asked whether we got the balance right. Instead, the focus is very much focused on our elimination and our minimisation and protection strategies," he said.
Partridge also wants to see how the closure of the border for Kiwis living overseas was effective or necessary.
Baker wants to see a focus on the need for analysis of New Zealand’s response infrastructure surrounding the events of Covid-19. He thinks the inquiry will come out in favour of the country’s model.
"Looking across responses in different countries, this choice of strategy was absolutely fundamental.
"I think the evidence is very strongly in favour of applying an elimination approach early on in a pandemic, the countries that did that have been through with much better outcomes."
The Royal Commission will begin considering evidence from February 1, 2023, and conclude in mid-2024.
SHARE ME