Document Type : Original Article
Authors
Department Faculty
Abstract
Considering that health is the axis of social, economic, political, and cultural development of all human societies, identifying deprived areas in terms of access to medical services for all members of society is essential. The present study was an applied research in terms of its purpose and its method was descriptive-analytical. The purpose of the study is to analyze the spatial distribution of public clinics in the city of Ardabil and identify the service area of each clinic using network analysis using the capabilities of geographic technologies and ultimately identify neighborhoods deprived of the aforementioned services and explain the spatial inequality existing in the city. The research method was carried out in three phases. In the first phase, information on the number, names, and addresses of clinics was obtained from Ardabil University of Medical Sciences. The location of the sites was recorded using a GPS receiver and during field operations, and it was converted into a map using ArcGIS software. The second phase was to create a network analysis layer with the city boundary and analyze the service area of public clinics, which was used to determine the service area of the clinics from a distance of 750 meters. The third phase was to identify urban neighborhoods deprived of public clinic services. The results of the research showed that the distribution of public clinic services at the level of regions and neighborhoods of Ardabil city is not in a desirable state. Among the urban areas, Region 2, with the largest urban area, only 33 percent is covered by the standard of clinic services, and only 40 percent of the total area of Ardabil city is covered by the standard of clinic services. Therefore, this issue indicates the lack of spatial justice in the distribution of clinic services in Ardabil city
Keywords
Main Subjects
)