Title: Cancer-curing supply chain planning with regard to hospital bed-capacity efficiency: a plan for Iran in 2040

Authors: Mina Haghshenas; Arash Nemati; Ebrahim Asadi-Gangraj

Addresses: Department of Industrial Engineering, Babol Noshirvani University of Technology, Babol, Iran ' Department of Industrial Engineering, Babol Noshirvani University of Technology, Babol, Iran ' Department of Industrial Engineering, Babol Noshirvani University of Technology, Babol, Iran

Abstract: Nowadays, historical data show an increasing trend in cancer occurrence worldwide. Gathering all specialised cancer services in a cancer hospital increases cancer patients' satisfaction by decreasing fatigue, stress, and wasted time. This paper addresses the cancer hospital location-allocation problem as an important issue in cancer curing supply chain management. A mixed-integer linear mathematical model is developed to locate the cancer hospitals in candidate regions and allocate the cancer patients to proper destinations under bed-capacity efficiency consideration. The model minimises the total cost, including the cancer patients' travelling cost, and the allocated bed-capacity providing cost. The cancer hospitals' bed-capacity efficiency is mentioned as an important constraint of the model. The model is applied in the case of Iran in 2040. The cost parameters are calculated based on the time value of money concept. The annual cancer new cases in each province are forecasted by using simple linear regression models. Finally, 24 provinces are selected to construct at least one cancer hospital, and all cancer patients are allocated to them. The results can be used by Iran's governmental healthcare authorities or by private sector managers to do feasibility studies on cancer hospital construction until 2040.

Keywords: supply chain planning; location-allocation; cancer hospital; capacity efficiency; linear regression model.

DOI: 10.1504/IJSOM.2023.131495

International Journal of Services and Operations Management, 2023 Vol.45 No.2, pp.170 - 186

Received: 15 Dec 2020
Accepted: 05 Mar 2021
Published online: 15 Jun 2023 *

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