Extreme heat and other climate-related pressures are placing increasing strain on healthcare systems and the infrastructure that supports them. Recent heat waves in Europe have been linked to nearly 10,000 excess deaths, while parts of South Asia have recorded temperatures of up to 46°C.
Beyond heat-health action plans, healthcare systems must also be able to move medicines, vaccines, blood products and medical equipment quickly and reliably to where they are needed. During public health emergencies, delays in the healthcare supply chain can affect whether critical products reach patients at the appropriate time and under the required conditions.
Healthcare logistics relies on a network of interconnected processes that support the movement of healthcare supplies from production and storage through transportation and final delivery.
Precision transportation and distribution form an important part of this network. Advanced cold-chain management processes are used when products move to and from warehouses, with active powered systems and passive insulated shipping solutions selected according to product requirements.
Transport across air, sea and road can be optimised according to urgency, stability and cost, while last-mile delivery may range from shipments to hospital receiving docks to direct-to-patient delivery.
Visibility across the healthcare supply chain is also essential because of the sensitivity of many medical products. Track-and-trace technology supported by Internet of Things systems can provide end-to-end monitoring of shipment location, temperature, humidity and shock.
Serialisation and aggregation can further establish a chain of custody for healthcare products, supporting counterfeit prevention and enabling more efficient product recalls.
Specialised warehousing provides another component of the healthcare supply chain. Facilities may contain segregated and access-controlled areas for products requiring temperatures such as 2–8°C, -20°C and -80°C, as well as separate areas for controlled substances, raw materials and finished products.
These facilities operate under requirements including Good Distribution Practice and Good Storage Practice.
Inventory-management systems complement specialised storage infrastructure by balancing supply and demand. This can include demand forecasting for critical medicines, first-expired-first-out management to reduce waste and management of safety-stock levels to avoid shortages during emergencies.
Healthcare supply chains must also account for products after delivery. Reverse-logistics systems support product recalls, returns of unused or expired products and the safe disposal of medical and hazardous waste.
Digital infrastructure increasingly supports these different components of healthcare logistics. Real-time information can provide visibility across shipments and allow logistics operators to respond when transportation or environmental conditions change.
Healthcare logistics providers are deploying logistics-management software to plan and track shipments alongside IoT sensors that capture real-time information.
Artificial intelligence and machine learning are also being explored for applications including demand forecasting and route optimisation, while blockchain technology is being examined for its potential to improve traceability, security and data integrity.
Ultimately, healthcare logistics connects pharmaceutical and medical innovation with the patients who depend on it. From the development of a new vaccine to the equipment required for surgery, the ability to move healthcare products safely, securely and reliably remains an important part of delivering care.
