Location of organ procurement and distribution organisation decisions and their impact on kidney allocations: a developing country perspective

Managing organ transplant networks is a complex task. It intertwines between locating the organ procurement and distribution organization (OPDO) (long-term decision) and allocating organs to the suitable destination (short-term decision). The literature lacks deliberation on the effect of those long-term decisions on short-term ones under the influence of clinical and non-clinical factors. This paper addresses this gap using a k-sum model for locational choice, and a discrete simulation approach for the allocation procedure for a real-life case study from a developing economy perspective. The study explores the trade-off between efficiency (distance-centric models) and equity (the result of time-centric allocation models). Our analysis of the efficiency of locational models and equity of the allocation policies reveal strong inter-dependence of both these decisions, a significant finding of this research. These findings offer an integrated model for high-level decision-makers, which can be used during the locational planning stage and provide input to design standard operating procedures for transplantation schemes.