Prognosis
Export Bans on Medical Supplies to Hamper Global Virus Response
- Medical export bans may disrupt critical global value chains
- Governments should seek to incentivize production instead
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A growing number of export bans on medical goods is exacerbating the challenges for medical professionals worldwide who are scrambling to find more face masks, ventilators and other life-saving equipment needed to fight the coronavirus pandemic.
This year some two dozen nations -- including China and India -- have begun to restrict or ban exports of medical gear like masks, gloves, protective suits and disinfectant. A key player joined the fray last week when the European Union, the world’s largest trading bloc, imposed a prohibition on the export of certain medical supplies to prevent them from going outside the 27-nation union.