Open AccessDetermining Variations in Access to Public Hospitals in Makkah, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia: A GIS-Based Approach
Author(s) -
Mazen Baazeem,
Marc Tennant,
Estie Kruger
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
the saudi journal of health systems research
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
ISSN - 2673-6136
DOI - 10.1159/000513632
Subject(s) - geographic information system , public health , geography , population , environmental health , gis and public health , rural area , business , environmental planning , socioeconomics , cartography , medicine , nursing , pathology , sociology
Background: Variation in gaining accessibility to public hospitals in Makkah, Saudi Arabia, has not been investigated before. Good access to public health facility will lead to improvements in the population’s health. Maps and geographical information system (GIS) technology can provide assistance to address public health coverage issues. Aims: This study aimed to use GISs to identify spatial accessibility to hospitals in Makkah, based on the radius and drive-time analysis technique. Method: Using Quantum GIS (QGIS), a geodatabase was created to include 8 public hospitals’ locations and data of population distribution across the city. Buffer zones at 2.5, 5, 7, and 10 km radius from the public hospitals were identified and examined. Results: The findings revealed that most of the health facilities across the suburbs of Makkah were located in urban areas, while rural and remote areas were neglected. Conclusion: Public health facilities were distributed relative to high population density. One-third of the city’s population does not have proper access to healthcare services.