Resilient healthcare network for simultaneous product allocations during supply chain disruptions

Abstract

ABSTRACT COVID-19 is responsible for medical emergencies, and uncertainty in healthcare supply chain (HSC). The HSC is struggling against the massive disruption due to the pandemic; thus, this alarming trend reinforces the need for a resilient HSC and a unique dynamic, responsive plan. The pandemic has strained hospitals and quarantine centres, necessitating crisis management for resource allocation. Addressing HSC issues, we've meticulously analysed vehicle routing problems (VRP) and devised solutions. The proposed methodology is exploring the dynamic programming (DP) for resilient HSC. The study offers a single-vehicle routing strategy with simultaneous loading and unloading of items between the depot and N nodes (hospitals and quarantine centres) to alleviate the vulnerability of commodities and recovery of items. The implication of this work is to provide dynamics of special purpose vehicle (SPV) with two storage facilities, one dedicated to fresh healthcare products (depot to nodes) and the second dedicated to old/recyclable/disposable healthcare products (nodes to depot). Finally, utilising the DP and particle swarm optimisation introduces an innovative strategy that compares efficient routing and allocation decisions for resilient HSC. It offers practitioners guidance on optimal operational sequences, optimal cost, and computational times for SPV, enhancing HSC response capabilities during crises.