Geospatial Assessment of Spatial Distribution and Accessibility of Primary Health Care Centres in Abuja Municipal Area Council, Federal Capital Territory, Nigeria

Vollständiger Abstract

Worum geht es in dieser Arbeit?

Background: Rapid urbanization and population growth create increasing demands for accessible and adequately distributed primary health-care (PHC) services. Geographic Information Systems (GIS), remote sensing and field-based geographic data provide a practical framework for assessing where health facilities are located, how they relate to transport networks, and where service gaps occur. This study assessed the spatial distribution, geographic accessibility and selected facility characteristics of PHC facilities in Abuja Municipal Area Council (AMAC), Federal Capital Territory, Nigeria.  Methods: The study used coordinates collected during fieldwork for 47 health-care facilities, together with high-resolution satellite imagery, administrative and drainage data, a digital elevation model (DEM), and a road network derived from imagery. GIS processing was undertaken using ArcGIS. Facility distribution was examined using Average Nearest Neighbour, Mean Centre, Median Centre, Central Feature, Standard Distance and Directional Distribution. Network-based service-area analysis was used to examine accessibility, while field observations were used to assess facility attributes, including cold-chain storage.