Assessing Spatial Accessibility to Primary Health Care Services in Beijing, China

Jiawei Zhang, Peien Han, Yan Sun, Jingyu Zhao and Li Yang
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Jiawei Zhang: Department of Health Policy and Management, School of Public Health, Peking University, Beijing 100191, China
Peien Han: Department of Health Policy and Management, School of Public Health, Peking University, Beijing 100191, China
Yan Sun: Department of Health Policy and Management, School of Public Health, Peking University, Beijing 100191, China
Jingyu Zhao: Department of Health Policy and Management, School of Public Health, Peking University, Beijing 100191, China
Li Yang: Department of Health Policy and Management, School of Public Health, Peking University, Beijing 100191, China

IJERPH, 2021, vol. 18, issue 24, 1-13

Abstract: Primary health care has been emphasized as a pillar of China’s current round of health reforms throughout the previous decade. The purpose of this study is to analyze the accessibility of primary health care services in Beijing and to identify locations with a relative scarcity of health personnel. Seven ecological conservation districts, which are relatively underdeveloped, were selected in the study. The Gini coefficient and Lorenz curve, as well as the shortest trip time and modified two-step floating catchment area (M2SFCA) approach, are used to quantify inequalities in primary health care resources and spatial accessibility. The Gini coefficient of primary medical services was calculated as high as 0.705, showing a significant disparity in primary care services. A total of 81.22% of communities reached the nearest primary care institution within 15 min. The average accessibility of primary healthcare services, as measured by the number of health professionals per 1000 population, was 2.34 in the 1715 communities of seven ecological conservation districts. Three hundred and ninety-one communities (22.80%) were identified with relatively low accessibility. More primary health professionals should be allocated to Miyun, Mentougou, and Changping Districts. Overall, the primary healthcare resources were distributed unevenly in most districts. According to our study, expanding primary healthcare institutions, increasing the number of competent health professionals, and enhancing road networks will all be effective ways to increase spatial accessibility and reduce primary healthcare service disparity in Beijing.

Keywords: spatial accessibility; modified two-step floating catchment area (M2SFCA) method; primary health care institutions; Beijing (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (6)

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