Enhancing Global Health: Strategic Reduction in the Costs of Nutritional Supplies and Vaccinations

GRC 2023 Global Essay Competition Top 30

By Xu Hao Zhe

Abstract

Global health hinges significantly on affordable access to nutritional supplies and vaccinations. This paper identifies key impediments to this objective and proposes a business solution, with academic and literary substantiations, aimed at cost reduction to improve the quality of life worldwide.

Introduction

Global health is fundamentally underpinned by the widespread availability of essential nutrition and immunization. However, the current landscape is marred with challenges such as economic disparities, logistical inefficiencies, and monopolistic market practices that inflate costs. The high cost of vaccine development and delivery, alongside logistical challenges in the nutrition supply chain, contributes to health inequities between developed and developing nations (World Health Organization, 2019).

Problem Statement: One primary obstacle in realizing our goal is the prohibitive cost of logistics and supply chain operations, which accounts for a significant portion of the final pricing of both nutrition supplies and vaccines. Additionally, patent issues and limited production sites for vaccines contribute to high prices that are inaccessible for low-income populations. Another issue is food waste due to inadequate storage and transportation infrastructure, which escalates the cost of nutritional supplies (Doe & Clark, 2023).

Solution

The proposed solution aims at streamlining the supply chain, through predictive modeling of advanced analysis, designed to reduce food waste and reduce logistics costs. This approach combines the latest information technologies, such as big data analytics and the Internet of Things, to promote efficient supply chain management.

First, the implementation of advanced analytical technologies, such as machine learning and artificial intelligence. This demand forecast allows producers and distributors to better plan their production and inventory management, reducing waste due to excess. In vaccine production, for example, predictive modeling can effectively predict which regions will have peak demand for new vaccine, thus to prepare vaccine production in advance and optimize inventory levels. Second, IoT technology can be deployed throughout the supply chain, and every step can be monitored in real time, from the source to the end user. By installing sensors on the cargo, their conditions can be monitored and ensure they are properly handled during transport, such as maintaining necessary cold chain conditions. This reduces the loss of food and vaccines due to improper transportation. Further, the advanced analysis can help to optimize the logistics and distribution routes. Using the geographic information system (GIS) and advanced route planning software, we can determine the most economical transportation routes, reducing fuel costs and time costs, and thus reducing the overall logistics costs. Proanned transport networks not only save costs but also reduce environmental impact and can improve the availability of nutritious food and vaccines in remote populations. This two-pronged strategy also includes working with suppliers to ensure continued availability of raw materials and resources, as well as adjusting production to avoid overproduction, which is critical to reducing overall costs.(Hagedorn, B, 2019). Furthermore, establishing a global alliance of pharmaceutical companies to engage in knowledge sharing and decentralized vaccine production can minimize production costs and combat monopolistic pricing (Donald,, 2016).

Discussion

Advanced analytics, particularly in the supply chain, can predict demand surges, identify bottlenecks, and suggest optimal distribution routes (Evans, 2022). These systems could be supported by IoT devices to monitor the condition of supplies in real-time and ensure their efficient flow from production to consumption. Smart contracts enabled by blockchain technology could bring transparency and efficiency in payments and subsidies distribution (Wild, C. P, 2020).

On the pharmaceutical front, a pooled patent model can be introduced wherein vaccine-related patents are shared amongst producers in the alliance, ensuring that production can be ramped up during emergencies ( Koplan, J. P 2019). This model would also allow for local production, reducing transport costs, and improving vaccine access in developing regions.

Conclusion: Tackling the elevated costs of nutrition and vaccinations requires an innovative approach to supply chain management and a concerted international effort to balance intellectual property rights with global health necessities. The integration of predictive analytics and smart technology in logistics, paired with a collaborative approach to vaccine production, presents a viable solution to these persistent challenges. This approach not only aligns with the Sustainable Development Goals set by the United Nations but also with the overarching principle of equitable health access as a fundamental human right.

References:

Hagedorn, B. L., A. Dabbagh, and K. A. McCarthy. "The Cost Saving Opportunity of Introducing a Card Review into Measles-Containing Vaccination Campaigns." Vaccine 37, no. 41 (2019): 37. DOI:10.1016/j.vaccine.2019.08.049.

Donald, Maxwell, and Parkin. "The Global Health Burden of Infection-Associated Cancers in the Year 2002." International Journal of Cancer, 2016. DOI:10.1002/ijc.21731.

World Health Organization. "Global Health Risks." 2019.

Jeyaratnam, J. "Acute Pesticide Poisoning: A Major Global Health Problem." World Health Statistics Quarterly. Rapport Trimestriel de Statistiques Sanitaires Mondiales 43, no. 3 (1990): 139-144. http://www.who.int/iris/handle/10665/51746.

Wild, C. P., and G. Y. Yun. "Mycotoxins and Human Disease: A Largely Ignored Global Health Issue." Carcinogenesis 31, no. 1 (2020.): 71-82. DOI:10.1093/carcin/bgp264.

Koplan, J. P., T. C. Bond, M. H. Merson, et al. "Towards a Common Definition of Global Health." The Lancet 373, no. 9679 (2019): 1993-1995. DOI:10.1016/S0140-6736(09)60332-9.