A geospatial approach to assess health coverage and scaling-up of healthcare facilities

The UN Sustainable Development Goals seek universal health coverage and accessibility to quality healthcare services by 2030 for creating a healthier and equitable world. This study highlights the role of geospatial model in assessing the geographic coverage of healthcare facilities in Manipur, India, and the need for scaling-up of the existing health centres in the region. A geodatabase on the existing healthcare facilities has been developed in the study. Mapping of health centre facilities, coverage analysis and scaling-up assessment are carried out using ArcGIS and AccessMod. The model results show that locations of the existing healthcare services are significantly spatially clustered amongst themselves, with an observed mean distance of 2.62 km. Scaling-up analysis considering the projected population of 2020 indicates the requirement of 66 new health facility centres, mostly in the hill districts of Manipur. This study indicates the need for scaling-up healthcare facilities that can cover the entire population in each district of Manipur. It also indirectly addresses one of the fundamental aspects of the healthcare system, i.e. equity in the distribution of healthcare facilities and their accessibility to all sections of the society.