Analysis Of Spatial Accessibility Of Healthcare Service Using Geographic Information System: A Case Of Adama City

Abstract

Access To Healthcare Is An Important Component Of An Overall Health System And Has A Direct Impact On The Burden Of Disease That Affects Many Countries In The Developing World. There Is A Limit Availability Of Healthcare Service Centres In Adama City And Its Surrounding. Due To This, Most Of The People Are Confronted With Several Problems Like High Cost Of Transportation, Or Travelling Long Distance And Delay Of Service. This Paper Assesses The Existing Spatial Accessibility Of Healthcare Service Centres Found In Adama City And Propose New Location For Future Healthcare Service Center Development. The Collected Primary And Secondary Data Were Processed In Arcgis Environment Using Network-Based Methods And The Location Of Healthcare Service Designed To Serve A Dispersed Population. The Geographical Accessibility Us Determined By Calculating Distances That People Have To Travel To Reach A Healthcare Service. To Serve All Of The Population, Additional 1 District Hospital, 2 Health Centres And 14 Clinics Are Needed. It Is Found That Even If The Proposed Services Improve The Spatial Accessibility In Terms Of Distance, But Not Improving The Quantity Of People Which Can Be Serving. This Clearly Indicates That There Are Mistakes Made In The Present Allocation, Either In Adopting The Standards Or Wrong Densities Were Considered While Calculating For The Facilities. This Study Concludes That Accessibility Analysis Can Be Used As A Tool For Evaluating The Existing Health Service Centers In The Study Area. Accessibility Can Become One Of The Parameters For Planning Urban Policy. The Incorporation Of Many Parameters In The Evaluation Will Make The Study More Comprehensive. The Findings Also Indicate That Such Tools Can Be Used By The Authorities In Earmarking These Facilities At The Stage Of Preparing The Master Plan.