Geographical perspective of modeling primary healthcare accessibility

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to measure the spatial accessibility of primary healthcare facility in Ghanaian rural areas, by determining the barriers to healthcare accessibilities in the Amansie Central District. Design/methodology/approach Both network and proximity analyses were performed on the digitized data such as road networks, settlements, population, district boundary, natural resources (rivers, streams and forest) and site location (health facilities). To quantify the population who have access to healthcare the authors used the Ghana Health Service access criteria that health facility should be accessible to an estimated population within 8 km radius from the facility. Findings The overall mean distance to the nearest health facility in the district was 8.9 km. Fiankoma sub-district recorded the highest mean distance whereas Tweapease sub-district recorded the least. In general, 31.2 percent of the district population has no access to healthcare facility. Transportation was identified to be one of the major hindrances to healthcare accessibility and this was as a result of poor road network in the district. Research limitations/implications The study was restricted to the Amansie Central District of Ghana. This limits the extent of generalization of results. Originality/value The study proposed additional sites for siting new health facilities base on criteria such as population, distance, centrality and existing infrastructural development. This will consequently improve healthcare accessibility and utilization by increasing total coverage closer to 100 percent

Business · Economic growth · Environmental health · Facility location problem · Geography · Health care · Health facility · Health services · Operations research · Population · Socioeconomics · Transport engineering · Child Nutrition and Water Access · Engineering · Global Maternal and Child Health · Healthcare Systems and Reforms · Medicine

• Community-based Health Planning and Services programme in Ghana

  Open Access•Abena Boahemaa Adusei, Helen Bour et al.•Frontiers in Public Health•2024

  Añadir item

• Spatial accessibility of primary care

  Open Access•Mark F Guagliardo•International Journal of Health…•2004

  Añadir item

• Equity of access to health care

  Adam Oliver, Elias Mossialos•Journal of Epidemiology and…•2004

  Añadir item

• Barriers to Health Care Access Among the Elderly and Who Perceives Them

  Annette L Fitzpatrick, Neil R Powe et al.•American Journal of Public Health•2004

  Añadir item

• Modelling and understanding primary health care accessibility and utilization in rural South Africa

  Open Access•Frank Tanser, Brice Gijsbertsen et al.•Social Science & Medicine•2006

  Añadir item

• Too far to walk

  Open Access•Sereen Thaddeu, Sereen Thaddeus et al.•Social Science & Medicine•1994

  Añadir item

• Physical access to primary health care in Andean Bolivia

  Open Access•L Baker Perry, Baker Perry et al.•Social Science & Medicine•2000

  Añadir item