Using GIS to measure geographical accessibility to primary health care in rural South Africa : research in action
Year: 2004
Type: article
Study design: Observational Study
Abstract: We demonstrate the application of GIS to measure geographical accessibility
to primary health care (PHC)
and its potential as a tool to assist in planning
and providing health services. Accessibility
was defined by delineation of catchment areas
for PHC clinics and their distance from homesteads.
Asurvey showed that 96% of the catchment
population in northern KwaZulu-Natal
were using the nearest clinic, one-third of the
people lived within 5 km of a clinic, and that
clinic use declined with increasing distance.
These results informedthe implementation of
two new policies in the study area as part of
the transformation of the South African
health system along primary health care
principles. The finding that most people
made use of PHC facilities supported the
decision by the health authorities to decentralize
the vertically run Malaria Control
Programme to PHC facilities as part of the
district health system. The fact that only
one-third of the population lived within 5 km
of a clinic and that clinic use declined with
increasing distance indicated to the authorities
that there was a shortage of these health
facilities. This finding supported the implementation
of the Clinic Upgrading and Building
programme, which provides additional
primary health care clinics. GIS enabled us to
show that geographical accessibility to primary
health care was not adequate and that
clinic use depended on distance from PHC
facilities.
Source: South African Journal of Science
Authors: Joyce Mahlako. Tsoka, D. Le Sueur
Language: English
Field: Medicine
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: diamond
OpenAlex ID: W171381325