Abstract:
Location models have proved to be invaluable in solving complex optimization problems across
various industries worldwide. The application of location theory to the healthcare industry has
recently become very popular in areas such as emergency services i.e. ambulances, location of
hospitals, routing of ambulances to emergency scenes, etc. These applications are mostly carried out
in urban areas. In South Africa, there is a unique demand for the delivery of healthcare services in
rural areas where resources are limited. Therefore it holds merit to investigate the application of
location theory in rural areas and increase the service delivery to less fortunate citizens of South
Africa. This project aims to address the improvement of healthcare services in rural areas by utilizing
location theory to find strategic locations for mobile clinics to be stationed. Mathematical models and
heuristics are used to evaluate the performance of the solutions.
