Equity in hospital beds distribution in Zanjan Province, Iran

Abstract

Health equity as a health system objective means having fair access to needed healthcare services, paying healthcare costs according to payment capacity and enjoying the highest achievable standard of health. Equitable distribution of hospital beds increases people access to health services and as a result improves their health status. This study aimed to examine the equity in distribution of hospital beds in Zanjan Province, Iran. Methods: Data for this descriptive and cross sectional study was collected from the Ministry of Health and Iranian Statistics Center. All hospitals in Zanjan province were included in this study in 2016. The Gini coefficient was used to measure the equity of hospital beds distribution. Excel software was used for data analysis. Results: The population of Zanjan province was 1,057,461 and there were 12 hospitals with 1,538 beds there in 2016. There were approximately1.13 hospitals per 100,000 population and 1.45 hospital beds per 1000 population. Zanjan, Abhar and Khorramdareh counties have had the highest hospital beds per 1000 people. About 42% of hospitals and 72% of hospital beds were located in Zanjan city, the capital. The Gini coefficient for hospital beds distribution among Zanjan counties was 0.26. Conclusion: The distribution of hospital beds in Zanjan Province was relatively fair. Equitable allocation of hospital beds particularly in less developed cities is necessary for achieving population health fairness.

Medication error rates in Iranian hospitals: a meta-analysis

“…Accumulation of more hospital beds in the center of the province and more developed cities with better living conditions and higher income will lead to more concentration of hospital workers such as doctors and nurses in these cities and It will have a negative effect on people's health (increasing medical errors, unnecessary admissions, hospital infections, etc.) in less privileged cities [ 40 ]. Of course, due to the limited number of studies, this finding should be interpreted with caution, and further research in different provinces of the country is needed for effective evaluation and planning.…”

Identification and prioritization of indicators of hospital bed allocation in Iran

“…In Iran, despite many developments in the country's healthcare system, there are still many challenges related to inequality in the distribution of resources (Shamsi et al, 2014). Many studies have been conducted nationwide, which show that the distribution of hospital beds is unfair in some provinces (Mojiri & Ahmadi, 2022; Mosadeghrad, Dehanavi, et al, 2020). The study by Mosadeghrad, Dehanavi, et al (2020) showed that hospital beds are mainly concentrated in provincial centers and not fairly distributed in other cities.…”

“…Many studies have been conducted nationwide, which show that the distribution of hospital beds is unfair in some provinces (Mojiri & Ahmadi, 2022; Mosadeghrad, Dehanavi, et al, 2020). The study by Mosadeghrad, Dehanavi, et al (2020) showed that hospital beds are mainly concentrated in provincial centers and not fairly distributed in other cities. Furthermore, the mentioned study showed that most of the hospital beds were located in central Iran and near Tehran province, so that about 22% of the hospital beds were concentrated in the country's capital (Mosadeghrad, Janbabaei, et al, 2020).…”

Investigating the Role of Physical and Digital Environment on Creating Active School with Respect to the Mediating Role of Social Environment

“…One of the appropriate social institutions for realizing a healthy and active society is the school. Schools are the most important social element influencing the formation of beliefs, personalities, and lifestyles, which deals with the most sensitive age group of any society and is the product of human culture's efforts to survive education (Mosadeghrad et al, 2020).…”