Geographical Accessibility and Spatial Coverage of Health Services in Ethiopia

Samuel A. Zewdie, Ethiopian Development Research Institute

Understanding the performance of the health system from a geographic perspective is important for improved health planning and evidence-based policy. The study aims to measure geographical accessibility and model the spatial coverage of the existing primary health facility network in Ethiopia. Two travel scenarios were defined with a maximum traveling time of 30, 60, and 120 minutes: Walking & Walking and motorized transport. Considering these scenarios, a raster surface of travel time between health facilities and the population was developed. The catchment area of each facility was calculated by taking into account population coverage capacity & distribution, topography, and traveling modes through the different land cover categories. The average travel time to reach to health facilities is estimated to be 75 and 96 minutes respectively under scenario 1 and 2. The existing health facility network covers 44%, 65%, and 86% of the population respectively for a travel time limit of 30, 60 and 120 minutes.