The COVID-19 pandemic exposed profound vulnerabilities in global medical supply chains, largely driven by a reliance on Just-In-Time (JIT) efficiency and geographically concentrated manufacturing. While many Western economies faced sustained shortages and distribution chaos, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) achieved a rapid transition from initial scarcity to a surplus of essential supplies. This report analyzes the Saudi Arabian experience as a successful hybrid resilience model that synthesized centralized government authority with decentralized private sector agility. Centrally, the National Unified Procurement Company (NUPCO) utilized unified purchasing power to secure international deals, while the Saudi Food and Drug Authority (SFDA) provided regulatory agility by fast-tracking imports and registrations. Complementing this, major private distributors like Al Nahdi Medical Company reported digital logistics investments enabling distribution efficiency. The study concludes that Saudi Arabia's success stemmed from the ability to rapidly pivot from cost-efficiency to security and speed operations. For future preparedness, the report advocates for a paradigm shift that prioritizes localization of manufacturing, supply chain diversification, and the integration of advanced technologies like AI and blockchain to ensure long-term national health security.
Darkhabani et al. (Fri,) studied this question.