Executive Summary : | Vaccination is considered one of the most successful ways to protect the population from various infectious diseases. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), vaccination prevents two to three million deaths annually. The vaccine supply chain plays a key role in vaccinating the target population. Proper management of vaccine supply chain guarantees the smooth flow of quality vaccines from vaccine producers to delivery locations such as health centers and special camps so that opportunity to vaccinate the population is never missed out. India has one of the largest vaccination programs across the globe. The need for a proper management of vaccine supply chain management can be seen from the outbreak of acute encephalitis syndrome in June 2019 in Bihar, India, which has taken the lives of more than 150 children [ECHO, 2019] and COVID 19, claiming a death toll of 6,866,434 across the globe as of March 15, 2023 [WHO, 2023] is another example of relevance of vaccine administration. One of the reasons for the inability to achieve timely vaccination can be attributed to the issues and challenges in the vaccine supply chain management. Reasons for vaccine shortage and wastage include inaccurate vaccine forecasts, lack of sufficient transportation and storage facilities, lack of financial support, lack of awareness among people, and vaccine hesitancy.
This research aims to improve the vaccine supply chain management in India by ensuring the availability of vaccines for the population in need of vaccination. In better managing the vaccine supply chain, one of the critical aspects is deciding on the procurement of vaccines. In the procurement decisions, the delivery commitments such as timely delivery of the desired quantity at the desired quality at the feasible price, are a concern. Key aspects in the procurement include decisions such as sourcing from a single manufacturer/multiple suppliers, quantity to be sourced from each manufacturer, and the structure of contract for the smooth flow of vaccines in the distribution system in the presence of possible disruption and vaccine failures. This project aims to identify and address the challenges in the current vaccine supply chain and to propose optimal procurement contracts for ensuring a better vaccination rate in the presence of multiple manufacturers with substitutable vaccines under demand supply uncertainties. |