Humanitarian medical supply chain in disaster response

Purpose - Following a large-scale disaster, medical assistance is a critical component of the emergency response. The paper aims to discuss this issue. Design/methodology/approach - Academic and practitioner literature is used to develop a framework studying the effectiveness of the humanitarian medical supply chain (HMSC). The framework is validated by using the findings of interviews conducted with experts and the case study of a serious humanitarian medical crisis (Ebola outbreak in 2014). Findings - The factors affecting the effectiveness of the HMSC are identified. Research limitations/implications - To get an expert opinion on the major logistical challenges of the medical assistance in emergencies only 11 interviews with practitioners were conducted. Originality/value - While the existing academic literature discusses the distribution of various supplies needed by the affected population, limited research focuses specifically on studying the HMSC aspect of the response. This paper closes this gap by describing the HMSC in the case of disaster response, and identifying the factors affecting its effectiveness, especially focusing on the factors that are unique to the medical aspect of the humanitarian supply chain.