As the novel coronavirus continues its relentless march, governments throughout the Western Hemisphere are scrambling to obtain even the most basic medical supplies. Fear of infection has pushed everyone from health-care workers to bus drivers into a frantic hunt for face masks. Hospitals are struggling to source medications and ventilators. Suddenly everyone is asking why it is so difficult to find local providers of these essential goods, and why the few reliable suppliers are concentrated in a handful of countries on the other side of the planet.

Imagine how different the situation would be if multiple manufacturers of medical supplies were located in the Americas, and if they relied on local or regional suppliers that could quickly ramp up production of personal protective equipment or chemical reagents for test kits.…  Seguir leyendo »