Examining spatial proximity to health care facilities in an informal urban setting

This study explores the following research questions using OpenStreetMap-based mapping approach and healthcare facility survey from one of seven slums being studied in Africa and Asia. What are the differentials of spatial proximity to health care providers in informal settlements like slum? What are some of the lessons learnt from using OpenStreetMap-based mapping approach for slum health research? Preliminary findings suggest that residents can access four categories of healthcare facilities (Clinics/Maternity Centres; Patent Medicine Stores; Traditional/Faith Healers; Eye Health Centre) within a walking distance (under 1km) where Clinics and Maternity Centres are farthest from most residents

Water, Sanitation and Hygiene In Health Care Facilities: Status in Low- and Middle-income Countries and Way Forward

This report presents, for the first time, a global assessment of the extent to which health care facilities provide essential water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) services. Drawing on data from 54 low- and middle-income countries, this report finds that 38 percent lack access to even rudimentary levels of water. The World Health Organization, UNICEF, governments, and other partners must develop a global plan to address the pressing needs and ensure that all health care facilities have WASH services

Distribution of health care facilities

This chapter provides a population-based analysis of the distribution and potential capacity of different types health care facilities in Peru. Health care facilities are heavily concentrated in the major urban areas of Peru. The distribution of health care facilities in Peru has been analyzed without regard for their equipment inventories or states of repair. The Ministry of Health (MOH) should not only work toward a more equitable distribution of new health care facilities, but should also take immediate steps to repair, maintain, and resupply their existing facilities. The chapter analyzes the availability of and potential need for hospital beds, assessing coverage at the departmental, regional, and hospital-area levels. Health centers are more evenly distributed in relation to population distribution than hospitals, but they still show substantial variation among departments. The MOH runs too many large hospitals and too few medium-sized ones, preventing its network from functioning efficiently and equitably

Prevalence of Oral Pain and Barriers to use of Emergency Oral Care Facilities Among Adult Tanzanians.

Oral pain has been the major cause of the attendances in the dental clinics in Tanzania. Some patients postpone seeing the dentist for as long as two to five days. This study determines the prevalence of oral pain and barriers to use of emergency oral care in Tanzania. Questionnaire data were collected from 1,759 adult respondents aged 18 years and above. The study area covered six urban and eight rural study clusters, which had been selected using the WHO Pathfinder methodology. Chi-square tests and logistic regression analyses were performed to identify associations.\ud Forty two percent of the respondents had utilized the oral health care facilities sometimes in their lifetime. About 59% of the respondents revealed that they had suffered from oral pain and/or discomfort within the twelve months that preceded the study, but only 26.5% of these had sought treatment from oral health care facilities. The reasons for not seeking emergency care were: lack of money to pay for treatment (27.9%); self medication (17.6%); respondents thinking that pain would disappear with time (15.7%); and lack of money to pay for transport to the dental clinic (15.0%). Older adults were more likely to report that they had experienced oral pain during the last 12 months than the younger adults (OR = 1.57, CI 1.07-1.57, P < 0.001). Respondents from rural areas were more likely report dental clinics far from home (OR = 5.31, CI = 2.09-13.54, P < 0.001); self medication at home (OR = 3.65, CI = 2.25-5.94, P < 0.001); and being treated by traditional healer (OR = 5.31, CI = 2.25-12.49, P < 0.001) as reasons for not seeking emergency care from the oral health care facilities than their counterparts from urban areas. Oral pain and discomfort were prevalent among adult Tanzanians. Only a quarter of those who experienced oral pain or discomfort sought emergency oral care from oral health care facilities. Self medication was used as an alternative to using oral care facilities mainly by rural residents. Establishing oral care facilities in rural areas is recommended

Gender and Health Care Utilisation in Pakistan

This study is undertaken to test whether or not there exists gender bias in health care utilisation of sick children in Pakistan. Overall, the results are encouraging, as medical consultation has been sought for by a very high proportion (79 percent) of sick children. Moreover, there do not appear to be significant differences by gender in health care utilisation, be it curative or preventive. This is so in spite of the fact that many studies on various gender-related issues in Pakistan have generally shown significant gender bias in favour of male children. Thus one may conclude that parental altruism prevails at least in the provision of health care to sick children. However, the extent and magnitude of effect varies by geographical, socio-economic, and demographic characteristics of the mother. In view of these findings, efforts should be made to minimise gender differentials among various categories of people so that children living in any circumstances may have equal opportunity of health care utilisation. This will be possible when health care facilities are easily accessible to all. The Lady Health Workers Programme of the Government of Pakistan is a major positive step in this regard. Under this programme, health care facilities are provided at people’s door-step. The expansion of this programme will be extremely beneficial in helping parents to provide health care facilities to sick children, both male and female.

Mapping the Spatial Distribution of Health Care Facilities of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) in Kaduna North and South Local Governments, Kaduna State, Nigeria

This research focused on the identification and mapping of the spatial distribution of health care facilities of the Millennium Development Goals MDGs projects in Kaduna North and South Local Governments Kaduna State Nigeria The research utilized the technology of Geographic Information Systems to add value to information for public health facilities mapping planning and decision making In this research work the primary data was the geographical data of the MDGs health care facilities sourced through GPS from the field The secondary data was the topological map of Kaduna North and South Local Governments sourced from the archive of the GIS Laboratory Department of Geography Ahmadu Bello University Zaria The data were analyzed using Ilwis 3 2a GIS Software The analyzed data was presented using tables and maps The study reveals that most of the Health Care Facilities were not evenly distributed in the study area thereby depriving the other sections easy access to these Health Care Facilities It was also discovered that there was the problem of malfunctioning of some of the Health Care Facilities most especially the boreholes This made some areas to be over served while others were under serve

Identification and Mapping of Health Facilities in Bukuru Town, Plateau State Nigeria

This study identified and mapped health care facilities within Bukuru Town in order assess  the effectiveness of the health care facilities. The list of registered health care facilities was obtained from the Ministry of Health and by identifying and locating their locations. These were achieved with the aid of scientific tools of remote sensing GPS and GIS for an updated map, where the research discovered twenty one (21) health facilities. Questionnaires using the Survey Available Mapping structure (SAM) is used to gather data concerning their categories. The results showed that only one (1) attained the tertiary level, four (4) PHCs while others at health Center level, thus, were uneven distributed (scattered) and insufficient as expected by the policy. The classifications were based on equipment, staff strength and patients’ response to the provision of the health care facilities. There were two (2) government owned and nineteen (19) private health care facilities covering distance of 5 to 200 km in terms of patronage. In order to bring about the desired changes to promote the well-being of the people of Bukuru town with estimated population of 168, 275, the research recommended strategies towards attaining the desired goal of effective provision and distribution of health care facilities, such as all health providers to strictly adhere to the policies of the provision, upgrading health facilities to competent health facilities in their true sense and strategy of distribution with the need to improve the additional secondary level of health care in Bukuru Town. Keywords: Identification, mapping and health facilitie

The Determinants of Exit from Nursing Homes and the Price Elasticity of Nursing Home Care: Evidence from Japanese Micro-level Data

This study examines how the price mechanism affects the length of residents' nursing home stay and their destination after exit. The purpose of this analysis is to evaluate policy options to reduce the number of socially institutionalized elderly nursing home residents in Japan. To address these issues, we take advantage of micro-level data from The Survey on Care Service Providers compiled by the Japanese government. Our duration estimates show that the price elasticity of the hazard of exit from welfare care facilities was 1.7 (95% CI: 0.4-3.0) and 1.8 (95% CI: 0.0-3.8) from health care facilities. The probit estimates show that a 1 percentage point increase in copayments leads to an increase in the probability of returning home by 0.04% for patients of welfare care facilities and 3.7% for those of health care facilities. In contrast, the price elasticity of the probability of being re-hospitalized is -3.3% for patients of health care facilities and -1.9% for those of medical care facilities. An appropriate price policy may work well to shorten patients' length of stay and to reduce the number of the socially institutionalized. Since the effects of the introduction of a price mechanism may differ for different types of facilities, public policies aimed at broadening residents' range of choices need to be designed with care and incorporate an appropriate risk adjustment system to provide a safety net for those elderly highly at risk of being socially institutionalized.

The Grounds of Health Care Facilities Internationalization

Розглядаються теоретичні основи процесу інтернаціоналізації закладів охорони здоров’я. Досліджено сутність та основні причини започаткування досліджуваного процесу. Визначено особливості процесу інтернаціоналізації закладів охорони здоров’я. Базуючись на теоретичному матеріалі, на практичному прикладі продемонстровано сутність поняття.Theoretical aspects of health care facilities internationalizations are achieved in this article. Nature and main reasons of process initiation are analyzed. Features of health care facilities internationalization process are determined. Based on theoretical material, nature of term demonstrated on practice