Self-Sufficient Healthcare Logistics Systems and Responsiveness: Ten Cases of Foreign Field Hospitals Deployed to Disaster Relief Supply Chains

Authors

  • Michael Naor Georgetown University
  • Ednilson Bernardes West Virginia University

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.12660/joscmv9n1p1-22

Keywords:

Flexibility, responsiveness, healthcare logistics, foreign field hospital, humanitarian aid.

Abstract

Recent disasters around the globe illustrate the unpredictability of their timing and the severity of their impact, making aid operations highly uncertain and complex. The aftermath of sudden-impact disasters, such as civil conflicts, wars, and natural disasters, are typically characterized by chaos and the urgent need for medical care for a massive number of casualties; however, damage to local healthcare infrastructures usually render them unable to deliver needed services. Foreign field hospitals, innovative self-sufficient emergency healthcare logistics systems deployed outside the hospitals’ country, constitute a temporary solution until the local facilities are repaired or rebuilt. These types of healthcare logistics system have been deployed with great success. However, not much is known about factors that may account for their success in the supply chain literature. In this study, we investigate military foreign field hospitals and explore general factors that may account for their effectiveness. Specifically, we look into military healthcare logistics systems, specifically foreign field hospitals (FFHs), to explore factors that may account for their responsiveness. We examine ten successful deployments of an experienced and effective military FFH through an exploratory case analysis to shed light into factors that may account for its success. Various propositions and avenues for future research are developed.

Author Biographies

Michael Naor, Georgetown University

Michael Naor is visiting professor in Georgetown University.  He received his Ph.D. from the University of Minnesota, his BSC from the Israel Institute of Technology in Haifa, and his MBA from Tel-Aviv University. Naor worked in project management for the Ashtrom Group in Tel-Aviv, Israel. His research appears in the Journal of Operations Management, among many others.

Ednilson Bernardes, West Virginia University

PhD from the University of Minnesota and a MSc. from the UFRGS, Brazil. His research is on innovation, coordination and competitive dynamics on supply network systems. Previously, he served as Business Planning Analyst with the Brazilian Aerospace conglomerate Embraer and as Flight Engineer with the Brazilian Air Force. His research appears in the Strategic Management Journal, among many others.

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Published

2016-07-18

Issue

Section

Special Issue on Crisis Management and Humanitarian Operations