Abstract
Given the effect of locational decisions on access and utilization of healthcare facilities in any society, the current study attempted an evaluation of the locational efficiency of available health facilities in Ikot Ekpene LGA with a view to ascertain the distributional pattern of the health care centers in the study area. It was discovered that health care centers in the area are randomly distributed but moderately concentrated in a few wards leaving more than half the area under-served. Using a WHO population/distance criterion of 1/4km, it is shown that only a small portion of the study area has effective access to healthcare facilities. Potential sites for location of additional health centers were suggested and the capability of Geographical Information System (GIS) in spatial planning and healthcare facility management is demonstrated DOI: 10.5901/jesr.2013.v3n9p93
Highlights
The importance of effective and accessible health care system in any country cannot be overemphasized
Given the importance of healthcare services to any society, the enormous amount of money expended on its provision yearly and the impact of accessibility on the its utilization, it is imperative to ask : how do public decision makers determine the efficient location points for health facilities to maximize accessibility as well as utilization? Suggesting a solution to the above question is the crux of this paper
Using analogue data sourced from ministry of health, Uyo, a digital Geographical Information System (GIS)-readable database was constructed on the available healthcare facilities in the LGA
Summary
The importance of effective and accessible health care system in any country cannot be overemphasized. A lot of money is budgeted for healthcare delivery each year in Nigeria (more than 4.6% of annual budget), inadequacy of fund and excessive administrative and bureaucratic bottleneck have meant that aggregate demand for health care services has always outstripped the supply. Apart from quantitative and qualitative shortage in the provision of health care services in Nigeria, the few available facilities are not efficiently distributed within the population it is meant to serve with the effect that some segments of the population are deprived of access to this important public service (Onokerhoraye, 1976). Given the importance of healthcare services to any society, the enormous amount of money expended on its provision yearly and the impact of accessibility on the its utilization, it is imperative to ask : how do public decision makers determine the efficient location points for health facilities to maximize accessibility as well as utilization? Given the importance of healthcare services to any society, the enormous amount of money expended on its provision yearly and the impact of accessibility on the its utilization, it is imperative to ask : how do public decision makers determine the efficient location points for health facilities to maximize accessibility as well as utilization? Suggesting a solution to the above question is the crux of this paper
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