HealthSIM: A Supply Chain Simulator for Supply Chains

Jim Duggan of the National University of Ireland, Galway, in Ireland will develop a simulator for public health supply chains in low- to middle-income countries that incorporates the stakeholders and steps needed to provide health care products from the manufacturer to the individual under different conditions, to optimize their performance and ultimately improve health. A key challenge is to ensure that the right medicines are available when needed, particularly when demand is high, for example during epidemics. The supply chain model will be built using the systems dynamic tool and tested in collaboration with public health professionals for its ability to improve the supply of health care products, and to support information sharing and decision making.