Spatial analysis of the geographical accessibility to health infrastructures in the commune of Ifangni in Benin

Abstract

Access to health care is an essential part of an increasingly urbanized world, exposed to increasing risks as the population grows daily. The study aims to inventory infrastructures to analyse their spatial accessibility. The methodological approach used is exclusively based on the use of attribute and spatial data. The Thiessen polygon was generated to better understand the spatial coverage of health infrastructure in the Commune of Ifangni . The results obtained show that health infrastructures are unequally distributed over the territory of the municipality. In 2017, the municipality has 17 health care structures. The population travels an average of 10 km to the nearest health center. The north-east and west part of the Commune is almost devoid of health infrastructure. 81% of the communal area benefits from health care coverage at different levels. 9% of the area is well covered in health care, 30% is lowly covered and 42% is very lowly covered. These results highlight the need to take into account the "geographical accessibility" component in the projects and programs for the construction of health infrastructures in the area of the Commune.