An analytical evaluation of humanitarian aid problems occurring in the disaster management process in the COVID-19 pandemic process: The example of Turkish Red Crescent

The coronavirus disease, which started in Wuhan, China in 2019, has affected the whole world. It was declared as a COVID-19 pandemic on 11 March 2020 by the World Health Organization. Along with the pandemic, other disasters continue to occur in the world. This situation also poses challenges to humanitarian organizations, humanitarian operations and humanitarian workers. In this direction, in the current study, it is aimed to identify and prioritize the problems that arise in the disaster management cycle within the framework of the covid-19 pandemic in the Turkish Red Crescent and to develop a solution proposal for these problems. In the first stage, interviews were conducted with the humanitarian aid professionals working in the Turkish Red Crescent using the Delphi technique. Then, with a comprehensive literature research, the problems experienced in the disaster management cycle within the framework of the covid-19 pandemic were revealed. In the second stage, these problems were prioritized with The Decision Making Trial and Evaluation Laboratory (DEMATEL) method. In the last stage, the solution proposals are listed with the Vise Kriterijumska Optimizacija I Kompromisno Resenje (VIKOR) method. The results obtained in this way can be a guide that can be used in future epidemics, especially the Turkish Red Crescent.As a result of the study, the most important criterion among the determined criteria is the lack of information, and the closest solution to the ideal among the alternatives has emerged as the preparation of a strategic plan about epidemic diseases.