Pandemic risk management: Resources contingency planning and allocation.

Area of Science:

• Healthcare Management
• Risk Management
• Epidemiology

Background:

• Pandemics like SARS, H1N1, Ebola, Zika, and COVID-19 highlight inevitable pandemic risks.
• Global shortages of critical medical resources are common during pandemics.
• Existing resource allocation often lacks coordination and sufficient stockpiling.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate contingency planning and resource allocation for pandemics using a risk management perspective.
• To address the competition for limited medical resources across different locations and pandemic stages.
• To develop new strategies for optimal stockpiling and allocation in healthcare systems.

Main Methods:

• Analogy between financial risk aggregation/capital allocation and pandemic resource planning.
• Risk management framework for healthcare systems.
• Analysis of spatio-temporal competition between medical supply and demand.

Main Results:

• Identified competition for critical resources occurs geographically and temporally during pandemics.
• Developed a risk management approach distinct from traditional supply chain models.
• Proposed strategies for optimizing stockpiling and allocation.

Conclusions:

• Effective pandemic preparedness necessitates a shift towards risk management in resource allocation.
• Balancing spatio-temporal competition is crucial for healthcare system resilience.
• New strategies can improve the distribution of medical supplies during health crises.