Accessibility of Public Healthcare Facilities and Their Distribution in Benin City, Edo State

Abstract

Access to quality health services determines human health and well-being, especially in this pandemic era. The objective of the study is to examine the factors that affect the utilization and accessibility of public healthcare services within selected local government areas in Benin City. The study adopted the use of 400 questionnaires, which were administered to respondents within the study area. ArcGIS 10 was used to depict health facility disparities within the city, while Pearson’s Product Moment Correlation was used to test healthcare utilization. The results indicate that public healthcare facilities are clustered in distribution, having a 0.28 nearest neighbour ratio. The public healthcare facilities are accessible and there are no shortages of healthcare within the study area. Socio-demographic variables such as gender, age, marital status, education, and employment at a were positively related to healthcare accessibility. Approximately 73% of patronage and the type of public healthcare facility influence facility utilization in the study area. Factors influencing accessibility and utilization of healthcare facilities are means of transportation, travel distance, and challenges within healthcare facilities. The quality of services at 48% improves healthcare utilization. This study recommends that health care facilities need to be maintained to encourage more patronage and better service delivery that includes a policy framework for the regular maintenance and provision of necessary equipment and infrastructure that would encourage accessibility and utilization of public healthcare facilities.