The COVID-19 pandemic has illustrated in stark terms how ill-prepared existing public policy and healthcare systems were to deal with the challenges of providing quality and affordable patient services.

In their new book, Beyond the COVID-19 pandemic: Envisioning a better world by transforming the future of healthcare, authors Ambassador Pradeep K Kapur and Dr Joseph M Chalil present SafetyNet, a ‘healthcare for all’ policy that challenges the world to enable political consensus to create meaningful change for all – both in the United States and worldwide.

The book asks the questions: what if it’s not reform we need, but instead a revolution? And what if we re-imagined a healthcare system with patients, not big pharma and insurance companies, in the driver’s seat?

Their “grand plan” acknowledges that advances in and the adoption of new technology will revolutionise the field of healthcare, and they offer critical strategies that countries can adopt during natural disasters, wars, or pandemics. The emerging world order, as envisioned by the authors, addresses healthcare needs, education, and sustainable lifestyle choices, reducing the need for more intensive and costly interventions to improve overall quality of life. They go on to suggest a roadmap that goes beyond just reform.

Ambassador Pradeep K Kapur has enjoyed a distinguished career working with leaders and policy makers around the world. He was Ambassador of India to Chile and to Cambodia, as well as Secretary at the Indian Ministry of External Affairs. His healthcare contributions include setting up the bilateral India Nepal initiative, the BP Koirala Institute of Health Sciences. A graduate of Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi (IIT-D), he is executive director of the Smart Village Development Fund (SVDF) of the Wheels Global Foundation. 

His co-author, Dr Joseph M Chalil, is chair of the Complex Health Systems Advisory Board, H Wayne Huizenga College of Business and Entrepreneurship at Nova Southeastern University in Florida, and a member of the Dr Kiran C Patel College of Allopathic Medicine’s Executive Leadership Council. A veteran of the US Navy Medical Corps, he is board certified in healthcare management and was awarded a fellowship by the American College of Healthcare Executives. Considered an expert in US healthcare policy, he is a strong advocate for patient-centred care.

Paying tribute to their work, Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, the revered spiritual and humanitarian leader, says: “This book makes a comprehensive study of all aspects that have been affected by the coronavirus pandemic while proposing practical ways to deal with those challenges. I congratulate the authors Ambassador Pradeep Kapur and Dr Joseph Chalil on offering such penetrating insight towards the current situation and also providing clarity on the way forward.”

Beyond the COVID-19 pandemic, published by TheUNN Corporation, is available to order on Amazon.