Introduction
Due to the pandemic, healthcare systems all around the world underwent a considerable transformation in 2020. The world saw a massive outbreak of COVID-19 cases, straining the medical professionals working on the front lines. The high infection rate caused the disease to wreak havoc on the healthcare system, which impacted the management of healthcare supply chains around the world. The healthcare supply chain is the system providing medical professionals with materials to help patients and pharmacists with medication to prescribe. Manufacturers create medical devices, surgical supplies, and various pharmaceuticals for vendors who supply them to medical care systems. These supplies are later stored and distributed to hospitals, pharmacies, and nursing homes. This system is incredibly important, especially during a pandemic or other global health crisis. It ensures the constant supply of needed materials for frontline workers to deal with the influx of patients.
Discussion
Laws were passed to curb the spread of COVID-19 – social distancing, complete lockdown of most towns and cities, and masks. Additionally, nurses involved in the care of patients who were suspected of having the disease were obligated to wear special protective equipment, such as suits and gloves. Iyengar et al. (2020) report that these measures severely disrupted the healthcare supply chain, from manufacturing to distribution. Eventually, that led to a shortage of materials and supplies, such as ventilators, paracetamol, and protective equipment. The shortage severely damaged frontline workers ability to help sick patients.
The disruption started early on in the supply change in the manufacturing industry. According to Iyengar et al. (2020), “China is a major supplier of active pharmaceutical ingredients to producers of generic drugs all over the world” (para. 2). The lockdown caused factories to close down, and the production of needed materials was severely halted. Later, it affected the entire supply chain, causing problems in manufacturing, supplying, and distribution. Iyengar et al. (2020) also state that healthcare systems worldwide requested assistance in the production of ventilators, a vital machine in demand during the pandemic. Prices for these machines increased severely, leaving many hospitals desperate for donations and help.
Many healthcare organizations do not completely comprehend how vulnerable their supply chains are to global shocks, as the COVID-19 pandemic has demonstrated. Companies were unprepared to deal with the massive spread of the virus because of this system and its limitations – a small inventory of supplies and no provisions. The most severely affected commodities were pharmaceuticals and essential ingredients, which were predominantly manufactured in China and India, two nations that have been severely impacted by COVID-19 (Iyengar et al., 2020). The visibility of the whole healthcare supply chain has been expanded thanks to new supply chain technology, which has also improved businesses’ capacity to withstand such shocks. Digital supply chains that offer flexibility and optimization are taking the place of the outdated linear supply chain paradigm at the local level (Gupta, 2020). In essence, this is accomplished by linking companies to their whole supply chain. Worldwide, this process is also starting, but it is more difficult to implement in economically weak countries.
The shortages of supplies caused damage to the handling of the pandemic. Heras-Pedrosa et al. (2021) reported that in Spain, there was “a deterioration in the well-being generated by the health system during COVID-19” (para. 4). Gupta (2020) also states: “The leading countries most affected are the United States of America, Brazil, India, Russia, and South Africa” (para. 1). Citizens and frontline workers of most countries suffered from severe shortages of medical devices, medication, and protective equipment.
Conclusion
In conclusion, the healthcare supply chains of the world were greatly affected by the coronavirus pandemic. They were unprepared to deal with a massive influx of patients, and the disruption of the manufacturing industries caused shortages of supplies. This disruption limited other links in the supply chain, such as supply and distribution. Eventually, it affected medical staff, who were hindered in trying to stop the spread of the disease.
References
Gupta, D. S. (2020). Ravaging pandemic of COVID-19. Journal of Health Management, 22(2), 115-116. Web.
Heras-Pedrosa, C., Jambrino-Maldonado, C., Iglesias-Sánchez, P. P., Peláez-Sánchez, I. J., & Fischer, F. (2021). Evaluation of Spanish health system during the COVID-19 pandemic: Accountability and wellbeing results. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 18 (24). Web.
Iyengar, P. K., Vaishya, R., Bahl, S., & Vaish, A. (2020). Impact of the coronavirus pandemic on the supply chain in healthcare. British Journal of Healthcare Management, 26 (6). Web.