Improving Access to Essential Medicines via Decision-Aware Machine Learning

• URL: http://arxiv.org/abs/2607.20542v1
• Date: Fri, 10 Jul 2026 21:31:00 GMT
• Title: Improving Access to Essential Medicines via Decision-Aware Machine Learning
• Abstract summary: We propose a novel decision-aware machine learning framework for essential medicines allocation.<n>In collaboration with the Sierra Leone national government, we performed a staggered, nationwide deployment of our system as a decision support tool.<n>Our work demonstrates how machine learning methods can improve efficiency at very low cost in resource-constrained global health settings.
• Score: 19.04910713770059
• License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
• Abstract: A critical challenge in healthcare systems in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) is the efficient and equitable allocation of scarce resources, particularly essential medicines. This problem is complicated by limited high-quality data, which restricts the applicability of traditional data-driven techniques. We propose a novel decision-aware machine learning framework for essential medicines allocation, which additionally leverages multi-task learning to ensure sample efficiency and catalytic priors to ensure equitable allocation. In collaboration with the Sierra Leone national government, we performed a staggered, nationwide deployment of our system as a decision support tool. Our econometric evaluation finds an estimated 19% increase in consumption of allocated products in treated districts, demonstrating its efficacy at improving access to essential medicines. Our tool was subsequently scaled nationwide, covering an estimated 2 million women and children under five. Our work demonstrates how machine learning methods can improve efficiency at very low cost in resource-constrained global health settings.

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