Access and Equity

The entities involved in healthcare supply chain—which includes manufacturers, distributors, providers, and patients—all have critical roles in ensuring cost-effective and timely delivery of medical products and services. However, access to these resources is hindered by several significant disparities impacting health outcomes. Some key barriers to equitable healthcare supply chain access include geographical disparities between rural and urban areas, socioeconomic factors such as income inequality, racial and ethnic disparities, technological gaps, and regulatory challenges. This chapter hopes to explore these barriers and offer some strategies for improving access to all. Some of these strategies for improving equity are policy interventions, technological solutions, community-based approaches, supply chain optimization, and workforce development. The goal is to spur future research in healthcare SCM and health equity.