Blockchain-based Supply Chain Traceability for COVID-19 personal protective equipment

Area of Science:

• Supply Chain Management
• Information Technology
• Public Health

Background:

• The COVID-19 pandemic exposed significant weaknesses in healthcare supply chain management, particularly concerning Personal Protective Equipment (PPE).
• Lack of information visibility and product traceability led to critical PPE shortages for frontline workers.
• Existing supply chain systems proved inadequate for managing the unprecedented demand and distribution challenges during the crisis.

Purpose of the Study:

• To propose and evaluate a blockchain-based framework for enhancing the traceability and transparency of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) supply chains.
• To address the systemic vulnerabilities in emergency preparedness and risk mitigation within the healthcare sector.
• To demonstrate the feasibility and benefits of using smart contracts for automated information exchange and process management in PPE logistics.

Main Methods:

• Development of a generic framework utilizing Ethereum smart contracts and decentralized storage systems.
• Design of detailed algorithms to govern interactions among supply chain stakeholders.
• Implementation and testing of smart contract code in the Remix environment.
• Publicly sharing the smart contract code on Github for accessibility and verification.

Main Results:

• The proposed blockchain solution ensures decentralized control, enhanced security, and auditable, time-stamped transactions for PPE.
• The framework automates key processes and information exchange, improving efficiency and trust among stakeholders.
• Cost and security analyses indicate that the blockchain-based approach is economically viable for PPE supply chains.

Conclusions:

• Blockchain technology, particularly with smart contracts, offers a robust solution to the traceability challenges in PPE supply chains.
• Adopting this technology can lead to a more streamlined, secure, trusted, and transparent system for managing essential medical supplies.
• The findings support the integration of blockchain into healthcare supply chain management for improved pandemic preparedness and response.