Supply Chain Resilience and Healthcare Sustainability in Rural Nigeria: A Theoretical and Literature Review

Rural healthcare delivery in Nigeria remains critically constrained despite repeated policy interventions and infrastructural expansions. Chronic stock-outs of essential medicines and inconsistent service delivery highlight systemic weaknesses in healthcare supply chains rather than resource scarcity alone. This study examines the role of supply chain resilience in sustaining healthcare services in rural Nigeria. Conceptualising resilience as an institutional and adaptive capacity, embedded within governance, infrastructure, and local decision-making, the study synthesises empirical evidence from Nigerian contexts and global resilience literature. Case illustrations from North-East and South-South Nigeria demonstrate how decentralisation, digital integration, and public-private partnerships enhance supply reliability. A contextual framework linking supply chain resilience to sustainable healthcare delivery is developed, with practical recommendations for policy, institutional reform, and capacity building in rural health systems. Keywords: Supply Chain, Resilience, Sustainability, Healthcare Services, Rural Nigeria.