A qualitative enquiry into strategic and operational responses to Covid‐19 challenges in South Asia

• Published date: 01 November 2020
• Author: Gagan Deep Sharma,Gaurav Talan,Mrinalini Srivastava,Anshita Yadav,Ritika Chopra
• Date: 01 November 2020
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.1002/pa.2195

ACADEMIC PAPER

A qualitative enquiry into strategic and operational responses

to Covid-19 challenges in South Asia

GaganDeepSharma| GauravTalan | MrinaliniSrivastava | AnshitaYadav |

Ritika Chopra

University School of Management Studies,

Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha University,

New Delhi, India

Correspondence

Gagan Deep Sharma, University School of

Management Studies, Guru Gobind Singh

Indraprastha University, New Delhi-110078,

India.

Email: angrishgagan@gmail.com

The Covid-19 epidemic is a public health emergency of international concern. It

poses a massive risk for the human race across the planet, calling for the need to take

measures at the local, regional, national, and global levels. South Asian countries

stand more vulnerable to the pandemic due to their dense population, poor infra-

structure, and low surveillance system. This paper aims to understand the challenges

from the Covid-19 pandemic for South Asia; and investigates the strategic and opera-

tional responses to this pandemic by policymakers and healthcare professionals,

respectively, in South Asia. The study uses interviews and opinions of policymakers

and doctors, from the South Asian region, involved in tackling the Covid-19 crisis.

The qualitative analysis is performed on these interviews and opinions by using

NVivo 12 software. The findings indicate that policymakers and healthcare providers

across South Asia have been showing efficient teamwork while dealing with this pan-

demic. The healthcare administrators being at the operational level, convey the chal-

lenges they face to the policymakers who then respond to them at a strategic level.

1|INTRODUCTION

The outbreak of Covid-19 has imposed a major infliction across the

globe, calling for measures at the local, regional, national, and global

levels. South Asian countries stand more vulnerable to the pandemic

due to their high population, poor infrastructure, and low surveillance

system. On April 30, 2020, the South Asia region confirmed 54,021

cases of novel coronavirus with a death toll of 2088.

Each of the South Asian countries has taken meticulous steps by

following social distancing and travel restrictions. India, being the larg-

est country of South Asia, has taken the lead by calling the SAARC

(The South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation) nations to act

unanimously by setting up an emergency fund in defense against the

Covid-19. The idea has been backed by all SAARC nations with a

further proposal for the establishment of the Integrated Disease Sur-

veillance Portal. On its own, India is following a two-directional

approach by observing lockdown and ramping up the healthcare infra-

structure. However, policymakers and health care administrators are

striving hard due to the limited testing infrastructure for Covid-19

cases. They are looking up to epidemiologists for real-time case

reporting to install policies at large. The longer incubation period and

reproduction value, R0 of 2.2 render policymakers exposed to a higher

rate of asymptomatic positive Covid-19 cases and community spread

at a very high speed.

The ultimate goal of policymakers and health care professionals

lies in the containment of novel coronavirus to mitigate the fearful

economic and psychological effects. Primarily, we focus on two

research objectives. One, we aim to understand the challenges from

the Covid-19 pandemic for South Asia; and Two, we investigate the

strategic and operational responses to this pandemic by policymakers

and healthcare professionals, respectively, in South Asia. In dealing

with the policy interventions with an aim to limit the loss of human

capital in the region due to this pandemic, our findings are classified

at strategic and operational levels. At the strategic level, we analyse

the strategies being employed by policymakers; while at operational

levels, we investigate the actions being taken by health administra-

tors. Our analysis covers various parameters such as surveillance and

contact tracing (virus carriers); travel restrictions and evacuations of

the citizens abroad; research activities for understanding the health

care emergencies and long-term economic consequences; diagnostics,

Received: 19 May 2020Accepted: 19 May 2020

DOI: 10.1002/pa.2195

J Public Affairs. 2020;20:e2195.wileyonlinelibrary.com/journal/pa© 2020 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd1of11

https://doi.org/10.1002/pa.2195