To outline the picture of procurement carried out in an enterprise, one must answer the basic questions of inventory management:
– what goods to purchase (what)?
– what quantity of goods to order (how much)?
– when to place an order (when)?
The procurement function carried out in the healthcare sector should enable answering the same questions. However, to complete the picture of problems and solutions related to inventory management in hospitals, it is worth expanding the analysis with answers to:
– where to deliver the placed order (where)?
– how to organize an effective delivery (how)?
– who performs the procurement function (who)?
In Polish literature, there are few articles concerning procurement and inventory management in hospitals. The topic is covered to a greater extent in foreign literature, and this study will be based mainly on that.
What product assortment should be acquired?
Quoting [2]: the assortment managed in hospitals is rich and very diverse. The logistical procurement function includes at least the following elements:
– medicines and blood derivatives
– medical devices (sterile and non-sterile)
– medical gases
– renovation materials, work clothes, bed linen
– hospitality materials, office furniture, IT equipment
– waste.
The article comes from the magazine “Logistyka” 1/2003.