Dr. Ibrahim M. Eltom Ibrahim

Associate professor in GIS and RS applications, Environment and Biogeography.

Vol. (15), No. (2), 1443 / 2022

p.p. 97 – 116

Abstract:

Objective: The acceptable level of public hospitals depends on the quality and quantity of health facilities available. The main aim of this paper is to analyze public hospitals in Khartoum locality accessibility problem using one of the GIS spatial analysis method. Methods: The data set used in this paper based on the ministry of health data sources concerning health service distributions. The analysis based on the main dataset layers’ public hospitals and the population distribution. Geographic Information system (GIS) has been widely used for its efficiency in solving spatial problems. To assess the location of the public hospital facility, the location-allocation method used for its appropriateness in analyzing location by time and/or distance. This method can buffer populated areas surrounding the public hospital as a demand facility.  The method effectively applied, and practicing on several disciplines especially social sciences. Results: The results interpretation based on the method used in analyzing the spatial distribution of public hospitals with relation to the populated areas. The results depicted that the public hospitals were unevenly distributed and about 30 % of the populated areas have not accessed hospitals easily. In addition, hospitals are concentrated in the northern parts of the locality as about 60% were established there. The hospitals’ coverage ratio per population declined over the study area as the population increases progressively, the public hospitals do not. Conclusion: The solution for this problem is complex under the current economic situation of the country, but mobile clinics recommended for short-term solution. The high level of health care providers’ distribution is an indicator for health service satisfaction, which evaluates the benefits of the health over the area.

Keywords:   Healthcare,   Health facilities,     GIS,    Location-allocation,     Public Hospital,   dataset.