How a dose of PPP helped Mexico fight Covid

How a dose of PPP helped Mexico fight Covid

It was one of the more unconventional ways to deliver healthcare. In just 23 days, business leaders, medical experts and public officials came together to transform a giant convention centre on the outskirts of Mexico City into a world-class 424-bed coronavirus field hospital. Together, they gave the Mexican capital a crucial additional weapon in fighting the pandemic at its peak.

In 14 months of operation from April 2020, the Temporary Covid-19 Unit in the Citibanamex conference centre treated more than 9,000 patients who were seriously ill with coronavirus, including nearly 2,600 in critical condition. All but 342 survived — a success rate which was the envy of many established Mexican hospitals.

Patients benefited from access to the latest drugs and treatments to fight coronavirus, such as high-flow oxygen therapy, and sophisticated diagnostics — the hospital had its own testing laboratory. Nobody paid for their stay: the $76m cost of setting up, equipping and running the hospital was met by a private sector consortium. Two-thirds came from foundations created by Latin America’s wealthiest man, Carlos Slim. Mexico City authorities provided the medical personnel.

What was most remarkable was the close teamwork between the public and private sectors in a region where healthcare is often