WHO Multimedia Library - WHO-2020-DUBAI

Reference ID U277LV4

Headline COVID-19: DUBAI

Description Team leader for WHO emergency Operations Support and Logistics (OSL) Robert Blanchard at a WHO warehouse in Dubai. “I appreciate being able to work across the entire organization, from headquarters, to the region, to the country. To be able to see supplies going out to people who need them, and being able to bring together a team working together as part of something larger, designed to help others. Lebanon is a great example. Seeing children benefiting from the delivery of our supplies, as a parent it is so reaffirming, knowing that these supplies are tangible and have a real impact on people, it's what I love about supply chain: it's truly rewarding work that is tangible; something you can feel, touch, and see whether through social media, on the ground, or in the news, it's a visual representation of WHOs commitment, and efforts to help others."

The World Health Organization’s Health Emergencies Programme maintains a Logistics hub located within the International Humanitarian City in Dubai. The WHO/Dubai operation maintains over 17,000 square meters of temperature-controlled warehousing and manages an inventory of medicines, medical supplies, and equipment valued at USD 40 million. The operation provides support to health emergencies across the globe in response to all types of events ranging from natural disasters to outbreaks of infectious disease. Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, the WHO/Dubai operation has expanded to over 4 times its original size and has completed over 324 shipments to 108 destinations across all 6 WHO geographic regions.

With the implementation of a WMS (warehouse management system) including bar-coding and scanning, the operation will gain significant efficiencies in managing inventory and rapidly dispatching supplies. The Operation established a dashboard to increase the visibility of supply chain data to support the tracking and monitoring of medical supplies dispatched from the logistics hub. Most recently, in response to the blast in Beirut, Lebanon the operation responded within 24 hours by delivering over 20 metric tons of trauma and surgical supplies; clearly demonstrating the rapid response capability and advantages of maintaining a pre-positioned supply of critical medical supplies and equipment.

Asset date 08/25/2020

Country, area, WHO office United Arab Emirates

City Dubai

State/Province International Humanitarian City Warehouses

WHO Region EMRO

Consent No

File size 4.50 MB

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