Annals of the University of Bucharest: Geography Series (Dec 2016)
Spatial Inequalities of Health Care Services in Botosani County and the Impact on Population's Accessibility To Health Care Services
Abstract
The economic and social changes have caused an impact on the health system and health resources in Botosani County, mainly by reducing state expenses on healthcare. State budget cuts for the healthcare system have had repercussions on health resources, leading to reorganization of health care units, medical staff dynamics, check-ups and treatments dynamics, and the number of patients. This study is aimed at highlighting the territorial inequalities and dynamics of medical units and medical personnel in Botosani county in order to show the differences in the access of the population to the health care resources. Using statistic analysis and spatial analysis, the study offers the possibility of comparing the rural areas with urban ones, of highlighting the dynamics and inequalities of Botosani County’s health infrastructure and population accessibility to these resources through indicators such as: the number of inhabitants per doctor, per general practitioner / per nurse / per pharmacy / per dentist, and the health care services index. The analysis of health care services index shows that the rural area is disadvantaged in terms of medical resources and compared to the urban area of Botosani county, it benefits from a limited access to health services. The low coverage of medical facilities in some areas of the county reflects on people's access to health care services.
