Equity analysis and policy suggestions for medical and health resource allocation in Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region

Abstract

ObjectiveTo analyze the equity of medical and health resource allocation in 12 cities of Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region and to provide policy suggestions for further optimizing the allocation of medical and health resources.MethodsBased on two dimensions of geography and population， a comprehensive evaluation of the equity of medical and health resource allocation was conducted using location entropy， health resource density index （HRDI）， entropy-weighted TOPSIS method， and GIS spatial analysis.ResultsLocation entropy showed that the allocation of medical resources in each league city exceeded or approached 1 in the population dimension， but less than 1 in the geography dimension. HRDI revealed that the number of health institutions in Tongliao City was 8.3 times that of Alxa League； the number of beds， health technical personnel， practicing （assistant） physicians， and registered nurses in Wuhai City was 20.3 times， 18.2 times， 15.2 times， and 22.7 times that of Alxa League. The entropy-weighted TOPSIS method showed that the top three weighted indicators were registered nurses （24.14%）， health technical personnel （22.63%）， and practicing （assistant） physicians （21.13%）. Allocation of medical resources in Hulunbuir City， Xilinguole League， and Alashan League was significantly inequitable； GIS spatial analysis showed that the equity of medical resource allocation exhibited a decreasing distribution pattern from the central region to the western and eastern regions.ConclusionThere is a significant disparity in the equity of medical and health resource allocation among various leagues and cities， with resource allocation in the population dimension being better than in the geographical dimension. Allocation of medical and health human resources should be strengthened.

Keywords

• allocation of medical and health resources
• equity
• policy suggestion
• inner mongolia autonomous region