Global Medical Supply Inequities

Abstract

The global issue of medical supply inequity exists as some countries have excess medical supplies, which leads to large amounts of medical supply waste resulting in both economical and environmental harm. However, many countries face the opposite issue and instead have a shortage of necessary, life-saving medical supplies. The duality of the issue is a harsh and widespread reality throughout the world. For example, the United States generates about 4.7 million pounds of medical waste yearly (Zygourakis et al., 2015; Thiel et al., 2020). In contrast, India, especially during the COVID-19 epidemic, faced a massive shortage of essential equipment like N-95 respirators, face shields, as well as ventilators. To reduce the worldwide inequities that arise due to the imbalance of medical supplies, Blueprints for Pangaea (B4P), a medical surplus recovery organization was founded. B4P, headquartered at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, redistributes unused medical supplies to places in need both locally and internationally, effectively reducing medical supply inequities one shipment at a time. This paper aims to explore the key components and global dynamics contributing to medical waste and to consider B4P as a potential model for addressing this problem.