Technology for improved operating room scheduling-a case of Kilimanjaro Christian Medical Center of Tanzania

Optimal scheduling of surgeries can result in efficient utilisation of the limited available operating rooms. Considering that operation theatres are an expensive investment, the optimal usage of these facilities will ensure that the dividend from the investment on the facilities is maximised. The integration of proper technology in the scheduling process can aid the creation of optimal schedules of patients who want to undergo surgeries leading to minimisation of patient waiting times under conditions of limited available operating facilities and specialised equipment. This work seeks to model the scheduling of surgeries at Kilimanjaro Christian Medical Center, a referral hospital located on the northern corridor of the Republic of Tanzania. We model the operation room scheduling problem as an integer linear programming problem. The model is solved using Torsche toolbox with the help of MATLAB routines and functions by considering appropriate configurations like resources, task parameters and optimisation criterion.