Spatial Optimization of Healthcare Accessibility: A Two-Step Floating Catchment Area (2SFCA) Study of Banaskantha District, India

Vijay Kumar, Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad
Tulika Tripathi, Central University of Gujarat
Jayachandra Kannemadugu, Centre for Environment and Development, Hyderabad

The NHP 2017 aim to augment access to healthcare by 50% from the current status. However, traditional health strategies have historically favoured urban areas, leading to a concentration of healthcare resources. This study understand the disparity in healthcare accessibility by focusing on the distribution of healthcare in Banaskantha one of the poorest performing districts in terms of utilisation. It identify the best location for establishing new facilities and relocation of existing ones to more optimal locations, with the goal of increasing the accessibility to healthcare. This case study, utilising the 2SFCA model by integrating population, road networks, and location of facilities to quantify accessibility. Further, we have applied the gravity model to evaluate spatial accessibility of healthcare services. The findings reveal gaps exist in health facility distribution, particularly in access of healthcare in villages of the district. Moreover, the highlights a high burden on the tertiary health facility, with nearly half of the secondary facilities being surplus as per IPHS norms. Based on analysis suitable locations were suggested where new facilities are needed and where accessibility could be increased by relocating the existing facilities. These findings are critical to addressing spatial inequities in healthcare accessibility, providing insights to optimize healthcare.

Keywords: Spatial Demography, Population and Development, Neighbourhood/contextual effect analysis, Geo-referenced/geo-coded data

See paper.