Distribution Pattern of Healthcare Facilities in Osun State, Nigeria

Abstract

Accessibility to healthcare facilities has generally been identified as a major indicator of development, and the existing spatial pattern of distribution of healthcare facilities play very prominent role in gauging the level of efficiency or otherwise of the existing level of provision of these facilities within any region. In this paper we employed the use of locational quotient, which is a measure of spatial pattern of services, to examine the distribution pattern of healthcare facilities in the thirty local government areas in Osun State, Nigeria. Twelve indices, representing the totality of healthcare delivery by State and local governments in the state were used for the analysis. Our findings indicated existence of gaps in access to healthcare facilities between local government areas in the state, though the observed gap could not easily be attributed to rural-urban dichotomy. We concluded that there was an urgent need for serious intervention on the part of the government in the provision of healthcare facilities in the state, focused on equitable distribution and accessibility to enhance regional development.

KEY WORDS: Healthcare facilities; location pattern; location quotient; development gap; Osun state.