Geographic distribution of physicians in Portugal

Abstract

The main goals of this paper are to (1) analyse the inequality in geographic distribution of physicians and its evolution, (2) estimate the determinants of physician density, and (3) assess the importance of competitive and agglomerative forces in location decisions. The analysis of the geographic distribution of physicians is based on the ratio of general practitioners (GPs) and specialists to 1,000 inhabitants. The inequality is measured using Gini indices, coefficients of variation, and physician-to-population ratios. The econometric models were estimated by ordinary least squares. The data used refer to 1996 and 2007. The impact of the growing number of physicians, and therefore potential increased competition, on geographic distribution during the period studied was small. Nonetheless, there is evidence of competitive forces acting on the dynamics of doctor localisation. Geographic disparities in physician density are still high, and appear to be due mainly to geographic income inequality.