An Optimization Model for Managing the Drug Logistics Process in a Public Hospital Supply Chain Integrating Physical and Economic Flows

The
drug purchasing and distribution system is one of the most
critical activities within a Hospital Supply Chain (HSC) mainly due
to the high costs involved and the required strict medical-administrative
controls. An appropriate decision-making process is therefore essential
to maximize the performance of the system, guaranteeing a solution
that respects medical and administrative restrictions. This paper
develops a novel multiperiod approach that provides an alternative
framework to determine managerial strategies, integrating financial
aspects with logistic decisions in a public HSC. The problem is formulated
as a mixed-integer linear programming (MILP) model addressing the
lack of certainty in the data through fuzzy constraints and considering
two conflicting objectives: the total cost and the total product shortage.
To deal with the multicriteria optimization, the original model is
further converted into a fuzzy mixed-integer goal programming (FMIGP)
one, that allows inclusion of imprecise aspiration levels for each
goal, and its equivalent crisp form permits finding an efficient compromise
solution of the problem. An Argentinian public HSC is used to illustrate
the proposed approach.