Strengthening Healthcare Supply Chain Resilience in Canada: Lessons from the COVID-19 Pandemic for Healthcare Management Practice

Healthcare systems depend on complex global supply chains to ensure that hospitals, clinics, and medical professionals have consistent access to essential medicines, equipment, and protective supplies. The COVID-19 pandemic revealed how fragile healthcare supply chains can be, as hospitals around the world faced shortages of ventilators, testing kits, personal protective equipment, and pharmaceuticals. In Canada, these shortages created significant challenges for healthcare providers and policymakers, highlighting the urgent need to strengthen healthcare supply chain resilience. This paper addresses the research question: How can the Canadian healthcare system strengthen the resilience of its healthcare supply chains to reduce vulnerabilities exposed during recent global crises such as the COVID-19 pandemic? Through secondary research analysis, the study examines key weaknesses that became visible during the pandemic and evaluates strategies that can improve supply chain efficiency. Key findings indicate that Canada's heavy reliance on international manufacturers, limited domestic production capacity, decentralized healthcare procurement, and inadequate strategic stockpiles contributed to supply chain failures. Recommended strategies include supplier diversification, strategic stockpiling with proper maintenance, improved data transparency, strengthened interprovincial coordination, and development of domestic manufacturing capacity. Healthcare managers play a critical role in implementing these strategies at the organizational level while advocating for systemic improvements (Pirouzi, 2026). Keywords: healthcare supply chain, supply chain resilience, COVID-19, pandemic preparedness, Canadian healthcare, procurement, strategic stockpiling