Routing-Locating the Blood Products Supply Chain in the Event of an Earthquake Crisis, Considering the Earthquake Magnitude (Richter) (Case Study: Tehran City)

One of the strategic parts of the health system is the blood supply chain. Blood is known as a vital and key issue with a sharply increasing demand for which over an earthquake. Sufficient blood supply, particularly in emergencies, is a major challenge. Properly locating the blood donation centers plays a significant role in supply management. In the present paper, the problem of routing-locating of the blood products supply chain in the event of an earthquake crisis has been reviewed, considering the magnitude of the earthquake (Richter) (case study: Tehran city). The objectives of this paper include minimization of the costs and time of sending blood products, location of blood collection centers and temporary treatment centers, as well as routing the distribution phase. The Euclidean method and the shortest route algorithm are employed in this paper in order to specify the route of vehicles, while Arc Map and Arc GIS software are used for location. The results suggest that bases close to blood centers should be chosen for construction to reduce costs, and given the desirability, donors should be allocated to nearby bases in order to obtain more desirability, and temporary medical centers must be established in suitable areas to cover most of the injured victims. Furthermore, the results indicate that through determining safe routes, blood supply chain users will be able to make proper decisions.