From Algorithmic Recourse to Spatial Resilience: A Multi-Agent Reinforcement Learning and Counterfactual XAI Architecture for Fair Diagnostics and Crisis-Driven Supply Chain Preparedness

• Abilly Elly

  Texas University

  Author

The increasing complexity of healthcare supply chains, compounded by systemic disruptions and algorithmic biases in diagnostic systems, has exposed critical vulnerabilities in crisis preparedness and equitable service delivery. While reinforcement learning has shown promise for supply chain optimization, existing approaches lack integration with explainable AI mechanisms that can diagnose fairness violations and provide actionable recourse. Similarly, counterfactual explainability methods remain decoupled from dynamic supply chain reconfiguration frameworks. This study addresses these gaps by proposing a novel architecture that integrates Multi-Agent Reinforcement Learning (MARL) with Counterfactual Explainable AI (XAI) to simultaneously enhance supply chain resilience and diagnostic fairness. The proposed framework employs a Partially Observable Markov Decision Process (POMDP) wherein suppliers, distributors, and diagnostic centers operate as cooperative agents, with counterfactual explanations generated to audit algorithmic decisions and recommend spatial reconfiguration strategies. Experimental evaluation demonstrates that the MARL framework achieves 96.2% decision-making accuracy in resource allocation under disruption scenarios, representing a 14.3% improvement over traditional heuristic methods . The counterfactual XAI component successfully identifies fairness violations with 89.4% precision, enabling targeted recourse actions that reduce diagnostic disparities by 23.7%. This research establishes a replicable architecture for integrating algorithmic recourse with spatial resilience, offering practical implications for healthcare administrators, policymakers, and AI system designers seeking to operationalize fairness in crisis-driven supply chain environments.

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Copyright (c) 2026 Abilly Elly (Author)

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