An Approach of Trustworthy Supply Chain Management of Ventilator and PPE in COVID-19 Pandemic Through Blockchain Technology

Abstract

The rapid outbreak of the pandemic COVID-19 has uncovered how our healthcare systems are confined to handle situation like emergency resilience, mitigation of risks, and supply chain management. One of the major problems during this pandemic is the growing demand of personal protective equipment (PPE) and significant medical supplies resulting in serious shortages for health care and frontline workers. But there has been several fake information being spread during this pandemic creating panic among the public and no system to authenticate the information. The lack of transparency of information along with the difficulty of accurate tracking of goods movements within the supply chain needs a robust traceability system. So, for efficient planning of operational processes and resource arrangements, we need to adhere to innovative technologies like blockchain. It is known that blockchain plays a significant role in healthcare systems. It improves the regulatory approvals and provides a prompt data management in clinical trials. Similarly, in supply chain, it streamlines the communication between different stakeholders, assures safe, transparent, and secure exchange of data among the collaborators. Thus, a blockchain-based tracking system will help the public to receive reliable and authentic information from government agencies. This paper analyzes the different blockchain-based applications and diverse prospects for handling this pandemic situation in a systematic way. It also proposes a blockchain-based supply chain framework for managing ventilators and PPE kits using Ethereum smart contracts.