Spatial Analysis of Distribution Patterns of Healthcare Facilities in Osun State, Nigeria

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The study examined the distribution patterns and developed a model for determining the optimum location of healthcare facilities in Osun State, Nigeria. These were with a view to improving the spatial distribution of and equitable access to healthcare facilities in the State. Primary and secondary data were used in the study. The primary data comprised the geographic coordinates of all the healthcare facilities in the State, while the secondary data included the list of all the healthcare facilities in the State. The cartographic model for determining the optimum location of healthcare facilities was developed. The data were analysed using percentage and Geographical Information System (GIS) analysis tools such as nearest neigbour ratio (NNR), buffering, overlay and query. The study identified 919 healthcare facilities of four categories, namely, primary (603, 65.6%), private (262, 28.5%), secondary (51, 5.6%) and tertiary (3, 0.3%) in the State. Primary and private healthcare facilities depicted clustered patterns of distribution; while secondary and tertiary depicted random distribution patterns. Using the secondary healthcare facilities as a case study, the developed cartographic method revealed both the optimum number and locations of additional facilities required, at 10km buffer distance to meet the set standards. The study identified that additional seven secondary healthcare facilities are required in four of the 30 LGAs of the State. The model also holds for primary, private and tertiary healthcare facilities by simply varying the buffer distance at 5km, 5km and 20km respectively. The study concluded that there were inequalities in the spatial distribution of healthcare facilities in the study area.