Accessibility of Health Facilities to Residents in Ibadan, Nigeria

Abstract

Provision of health facilities is an essential service that government often try to provide for the well-being of its citizens. However, the spatial distribution of this service tends to determine how accessible it is to the residents. This study examined the accessibility of health facilities to residents in Ibadan, Nigeria. Systematic random sampling technique was used to choose 791 respondents for the study. Cumulative opportunity measure was employed to compute the total number of health facilities in the study area. The findings of the study revealed that majority (69.9%) of the residents patronized hospitals where general and specialized services are rendered. Also, more than 30% travelled 5km or less and others about 70% more than 5km for their medical needs. It took majority of the residents 2 hours and they paid an average of ?356 ($2.23) per trip to health facilities. Furthermore, there was unequal distribution of the available 436 health facilities, with major ones situated in the modern areas of the city while the minor ones were concentrated in the older areas. This study concluded that residents have relatively low accessibility to health facilities. Hence, the need to address the lopsided arrangement of health facilities so as to improve residents’ accessibility to them.

Keywords: Accessibility, health facilities, cumulative opportunity measure