Equal Access to Vaccines within the Scope of the Health Policies Carried out in the COVID 19 Pandemic: A Financing Proposal

Year 2022, Volume: 14 Issue: S1, 260 - 270, 28.04.2022

Deniz Aytaç

https://doi.org/10.18521/ktd.1022790

Abstract

The COVID-19 virus, which caused a global pandemic in 2020, caused 248 million people to get sick and 5 million people to die in the last quarter of 2021. It has been stated that the way out of the global pandemic is to vaccinate 70% of the world's population, but vaccination levels have remained very low, especially in low and middle-income countries. $50 billion in funding to enable low- and middle-income countries (LMIC) access to the COVID-19vaccine and to accelerate vaccination, and rich countries' reluctance to share vaccines. Increasing the vaccine supply will provide an important solution in ensuring equal access to the vaccine. R&D investment expenditures in healthcare and biotechnology are expected to have an impact on increasing the supply of high-tech vaccines. In the process from the development of the vaccine to its production, biotechnology companies may encounter financing problems. In this context, venture capital may be a solution to the solution of the financing problem and to increase the vaccine supply. In this context, the global increase in venture capital investments, which is an important method of financing innovation, and the direct support of the public to companies producing vaccine technologies, either alone or through public-private partnerships, will make a significant contribution to increasing the vaccine supply, which is a major problem in accessing COVID-19 vaccines. In this context, ıt can be suggested that the state provides investment, screening and advice (guidance) services in the field of innovation by funding companies directly as venture capitalists or through public-private partnerships.

Keywords

Health Pollicy, COVID 19, Health Sector, R&D, Venture Capital, Vaccination

COVID 19 Pandemisinde Yürütülen Sağlık Politikaları Kapsamında Aşıya Eşit Erişim: Bir Finansman Önerisi

Abstract

2020 yılında küresel pandemiye neden olan COVID-19 virüsü 2021 yılının son çeyreğinde 248 milyon kişinin hastalığa yakalanmasına ve 5 milyon kişinin ise hayatına kaybetmesine neden olmuştur. Küresel pandemiden çıkışın yolu ise dünya nüfusunun %70’nin aşılanması olarak açıklanmış fakat özellikle düşük ve orta gelirli ülkelerde (LMIC) aşılanma düzeyleri çok düşük oranlarda kalmıştır. COVID-19 aşısına erişimlerinin sağlanması ve aşılamanın hızlandırılmasında için 50 milyar Dolarlık finansmana ihtiyaç duyması ve zengin ülkelerin aşı paylaşımında istekli davranmamaları, aşılamada finansman sorunun boyutunu arttırmaktadır. Aşıya eşit erişimin sağlanmasında ise aşı arzını arttırılması önemli bir çözüm sağlayabilecektir. İleri teknoloji ürünü olan aşı arzının arttırılmasında sağlık hizmetleri ve bioteknoloji alanındaki Ar-Ge yatırım harcamalarının etkileri olması beklenir. Aşının geliştirilmesinden, üretimine kadar olan süreçte bioteknoloji firmaları finansman sorunu ile karşılaşabilmektedir. Bu kapsamda girişim sermaye söz konusu finansman sorunu çözümü ve aşı arzının arttırılmasında bir çözüm olabilecektir. Bu kapsamda yeniliğin finansmanında önemli bir yöntem olan girişim sermeye yatırımlarının küresel ölçekte artması ve kamunun gerek tek başına gerek kamu özel ortaklılıkları ile aşı teknolojileri üreten şirketlere doğrudan destek sağlamsı COVID-19 aşılarına erişimde büyük bir sorun olan aşı arzının arttırılmasında önemli bir katkı sağlayabilecektir. Bu kapsamda devletin doğrudan girişim sermayedar olarak firmaları fonlaması yada kamu-özel sektör ortaklığı aracılığı ile yenilik alanında yatırım, tarama ve tavsiye (yönlendirme) hizmetini vermesi önerilebilir.

Keywords

Sağlık Politikası, Covid 19, Aşılama, Sağlık Sektörü, R&D, Venture Capital

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