Dynamics of the geographical distribution of private physicians in Algeria

Abstract

In Algeria, private physicians settle much more in the northern regions of the country and preferably in the large metropolises than in the rest of regions. The purpose of this article is, first, to analyze the inequity in — and the evolution of — the geographical distribution of Algerian private physicians and, secondly, to estimate the main determinants of doctors’ density in 1998 and 2017. The inequalities in distribution is measured using the Gini index and the coefficient of variation. The econometric models (static and dynamic) were estimated by the ordinary least squares. Our results show that overall disparities increased slightly between 1998-2017. The same well-endowed wilayas (departments) still continue to attract new physicians. The econometric estimate suggests that the population density and per capita social security expenditure are the main determinants of physicians’ geographic location in both the static and dynamic models. Ultimately, the increase in the number of trained physicians does not automatically solve the problem of their geographical distribution, particularly in a context characterized by the absence of any government policy towards the private healthcare.

Keywords

• physician
• inequality
• location
• econometrics