Application of Health-Care Networking in COVID-19: A Brief Report

Health-care systems all over the world are stretched out and being reconfigured to deal with the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Some countries have flattened the curve, some are still fighting to survive it, and others are embracing the second wave. Globally, there is an urgent need to increase the resilience, capacity, and capability of health-care systems to deal with the current crisis and improve upon the future responses. The epidemiological burden of COVID-19 has led to rapid exhaustion of local response resources and massive disruption to the delivery of care in many countries. Health-care networking and liaison are essential component in disaster management and public health emergencies. It aims to provide logistical support between hospitals; financial support through local or regional governmental and nongovernmental agencies for response; manpower and mechanism for coordination and to implement policies, procedures, and technologies in the event of such crisis.This brief report describes how 4 independent private hospitals in northern India had adopted the principles of health-care networking, pooled their resources, and scaled up 1 of the partner hospitals as Dedicated COVID-19 Hospital (DCH) to treat moderate to severe category of COVID-19 patients. It brings out the importance of a unique coalition between private and public health-care system.