Summary of key qualitative themes from key informant interviews on emergency medical supply chain performance during the February 2023 earthquake response in Northwest Syria (n = 8)
| Qualitative finding category | Key insights and themes |
|---|---|
| Crisis communication | Participants reported major communication barriers and complete blackouts, especially between teams in Syria and Türkiye |
| Responders relied on informal tools like WhatsApp, which proved flexible and effective for rapid decision-making but lacked features for structured message tracking or integration with logistics systems | |
| Coordination | Heavy reliance on intra-coordination (between local actors/NGOs) |
| Significant gaps in external coordination (with international organizations) led to unclear roles, duplication of efforts, and overstocking of certain items | |
| Coordination with Türkiye was hindered by border closures and shifts in Turkish policy prioritizing domestic needs, restricting exports of medical supplies into NWS | |
| Information management systems | Challenges in obtaining timely and accurate data from health facilities hindered the ability to effectively address medical needs |
| Functioning systems often had data on central warehouse stock but lacked real-time data at the facility level (warehouses or pharmacies) | |
| Funding and donor relations | The earthquake response saw faster and more flexible funding than typical protracted Syrian crisis responses, including expedited disbursements and relaxation of procurement regulations |
| Organizational flexibility (e.g. rapid implementation of emergency waivers) was key to enabling faster life-saving activities | |
| Despite announced appeals, the amount of allocated funding that reached affected areas in the initial weeks was significantly less | |
| Existing disaster preparedness | Many facilities were unprepared for the scale of the earthquake, despite previous experience with crises like COVID-19 or cholera outbreaks |
| Facilities had to rely heavily on existing stockpiles of emergency supplies, demonstrating the crucial role of prepositioned stock |
| Qualitative finding category | Key insights and themes |
|---|---|
| Participants reported major communication barriers and complete blackouts, especially between teams in Syria and Türkiye | |
| Responders relied on informal tools like WhatsApp, which proved flexible and effective for rapid decision-making but lacked features for structured message tracking or integration with logistics systems | |
| Heavy reliance on intra-coordination (between local actors/NGOs) | |
| Significant gaps in external coordination (with international organizations) led to unclear roles, duplication of efforts, and overstocking of certain items | |
| Coordination with Türkiye was hindered by border closures and shifts in Turkish policy prioritizing domestic needs, restricting exports of medical supplies into | |
| Challenges in obtaining timely and accurate data from health facilities hindered the ability to effectively address medical needs | |
| Functioning systems often had data on central warehouse stock but lacked real-time data at the facility level (warehouses or pharmacies) | |
| The earthquake response saw faster and more flexible funding than typical protracted Syrian crisis responses, including expedited disbursements and relaxation of procurement regulations | |
| Organizational flexibility (e.g. rapid implementation of emergency waivers) was key to enabling faster life-saving activities | |
| Despite announced appeals, the amount of allocated funding that reached affected areas in the initial weeks was significantly less | |
| Many facilities were unprepared for the scale of the earthquake, despite previous experience with crises like COVID-19 or cholera outbreaks | |
| Facilities had to rely heavily on existing stockpiles of emergency supplies, demonstrating the crucial role of prepositioned stock |