THE government needs to implement structural reforms in health care, technology and agriculture while upskilling the workforce to ensure recovery from the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas Governor Benjamin E. Diokno said.
The top priority, modernizing health care, “would require giving incentives for the use of science and technology in health policy decision making. It would require overhauling the health care supply chain,” Mr. Diokno said in an online forum organized by the Makati Business Club and the National Resilience Council Friday.
Mr. Diokno also supports upgrading the infrastructure for information communications technology (ICT).
“The demand for digital technology will increase, driven by companies, schools, and government agencies implementing work from home arrangements and virtual meetings,” he said.
Mr. Diokno said upgraded crop management and farm logistics will ensure that food is accessible and cheap during emergencies.
“An efficient logistics system for agriculture facilitates the transport of agricultural inputs including farm equipment and machinery to farmers to keep food production uninterrupted,” he said.
Workers, he said, must be prepared for the future via upgraded skills and the safeguarding of their health in order to maximize the so-called demographic dividend from the young workforce. — Luz Wendy T. Noble
