Question

COVID 19 impact have disrupted the capacity planning of every Hospital sector. What are some different tactical ways in which the Hospital operations manager, match the supply capacity with increase in demand? [Provide your answer with supporting with appropriate theory for about minimum of 200 words]

Answer 1

Answer. In this peak hour of pandemic, the hospitals are facing huge shortage of medical supplies, because their production is not meeting upto their requirements. Almost every hospital needs a continuous supply of all the basic materials including masks, gloves, PPE kits, more and more of equipments like ventilators and ICU rooms to deal with the ever-growing corona patients.

The doctors or the skilled medical practitioners are working day and night to test and to treat infected patients. This shortage is affecting the heroic deeds and works of all health care systems as they totally rely on these materials. So, a continuous supply chain is must in every hospital. For this a team of workers as hospital operations managers, are working hard to keep the supply chain running so that the job of professionals is not hindered at any place and at any cost.

Besides the issues like keeping social-distancing measures, travel restrictions, etc, the managers proactively shaping the wayouts to keep the regular supply. For such critical conditions, they have to regulate the effective procedures of moving or shifting patients to other near hospitals,so that other chronic patients with different problems are kept far away from corona infected ones.

For this strategy, the health care systems should be fully aware of system's nterdependencies and unintended consequences. They can keep postponing the treatment that can be delayed. They can close or shift the routine checkup departments to save the other patients from any future problems. This diverting strategy of non critical patients to other shelters and focusing on corona infected patients is main demand of today.

Also the managers order the demand for upcoming short or small time period on the basis of their population density around. They order in such a way that the supplies are not overloaded in one place where the requirement is less. So short term order plans are made and used to work for the equal and balanced supplies, even after keeping a reserve for every unit.

By continously doing the potential forecasting for future, the supplies can be managed for the hospitals.