Optimization-based strategic planning for geographical healthcare accessibility in developing countries: a literature review

TL;DR

This paper reviews two decades of optimization-based strategic planning research aimed at improving healthcare accessibility in developing countries, highlighting methodologies, challenges, and practical implications.

Contribution

It provides a comprehensive literature review and case study analysis, offering a roadmap for future research in optimization for healthcare accessibility in developing nations.

Findings

Optimization techniques are increasingly used in strategic healthcare planning.

Many studies are theoretical with limited real-world implementation.

The review identifies gaps and future directions for research.

Abstract

Access to healthcare facilities is a critical issue in developing countries, where limited resources and significant challenges hinder progress toward universal health coverage, one of the targets pursued by the United Nations. As a result, the Operations Research (OR) community has become increasingly active in addressing this issue, employing various techniques, particularly optimization. However, making long-term strategic decisions remains challenging, as these often require substantial investments and directly affect large populations. Moreover, much of the existing literature is predominantly theoretical. This paper reviews studies published over the past two decades that use optimization techniques to inform strategic planning decisions aimed at improving health accessibility and specifically contain a case study conducted in a developing country. The review explores the nature of the problems tackled, considering factors such as the level of care, service delivery channels, objectives, criteria, or potential hierarchy, uncertainty, and multi-period settings. Additionally, we discuss the modeling approaches, solution methodologies, and the extent of practical implementation. The goal of this survey is not only to summarize existing work but also to provide a roadmap for future research, offering valuable insights for OR practitioners in the field.