Chapter 7. The resource allocation model.
The general structure of a resource allocation model is presented, and special reference is made to linear programming as a suitable technique for the optimization of resource allocation in the public health field. The relevance of the analysis of the public health system carried out in the previous chapters to a linear programming formulation of the allocation model is demonstrated. The optimization process and the significance of the dual solution are discussed. The resource allocation model is applied to tuberculosis control in the Republic of Korea in terms of the statement and computation of inputs, of resource, demographic, and epidemiological constraints, and of outputs. The underlying assumptions of independence and linearity, in respect of both inputs and outputs, are briefly discussed and the implications of observed interdependence and nonlinearities for the application of the method are considered.