Hospital Supply Chain Optimization under Uncertainty: Application of Fuzzy Goal Programming

Abstract

Developing efficient and effective health care systems has become a major concern for governments and health care decision makers. In-time supply of medicine and efficiency of the inventory and distribution system play a vital role in the hospital supply chain and require a proper decision-making process in inventory management. This study suggests a two-objective model of mixed-integer, linear programming to manage medicine and information flow. The main goals of this model are to minimize the costs of purchasing, maintaining, manpower, and medicine expiration, and to minimize medicine shortages. Uncertainty parameters are related to demand, storage, and supply capacity, as well as the aspiration level of each goal. The initial model is first transformed into a fuzzy mixed-integer, goal programming model. Then, the resulting model is transformed into a one-objective model using methods suggested by Torabi and Hassini and solved in GAMS. The supply chain of Shahid Beheshti Hospital in Kashan is used to explain the proposed approach. The results indicate that decisions related to the purchase and logistics of medicine have a great impact on medicine shortages and control various costs relating to medicine inventory in this hospital.

Keywords

• hospital supply chain
• healthcare
• services
• optimization
• fuzzy goal programming