Multiobjective model for locating Health Care Units considering prioritization by socioeconomic indicators and equity criteria

• Grant number: 20/07979-6
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: September 01, 2020
• End date: August 31, 2021
• Field of knowledge: Engineering - Production Engineering - Operational Research
• Principal Investigator: Eli Angela Vitor Toso
• Grantee: Karina de Freitas Santos
• Host Institution: Centro de Ciências em Gestão e Tecnologia (CCGT). Universidade Federal de São Carlos (UFSCAR). Campus de Sorocaba. Sorocaba , SP, Brazil
• Associated research grant: 16/01860-1 - Cutting, packing, lot-sizing, scheduling, routing and location problems and their integration in industrial and logistics settings, AP.TEM

Abstract

The public health system in Brazil is structured in such a way that Basic Health Units (UBS) have a fundamental role in primary care, offering services that promote preventive care, such as medical appointments and vaccination. The municipalities are responsible for the management of the basic service network: they determine the location, the sizing of the healthcare teams and which region each UBS unit will serve. The UBS location problem is constant due to population growth, changes in territorial occupation and socioeconomic profile of citizens. In this context, the objective of this work is to study the UBS location problem, considering the pre-existing units and their capacities, to propose a multi-objective optimization model, using socioeconomic indicators to prioritize the service and evaluate equity issues. To validate the model, a case study will be conducted in the city of Sorocaba. This work might contribute to a more efficient management of financial resources, in addition to make possible an evaluation of the coverage of the service guided by scientific knowledge.