Are we ignoring population density in health planning? The issues of availability and accessibility.
Availability of health facilities is commonly expressed in terms of the number of persons dependent on one unit. Whether that unit is actually accessible to those persons depends, however, on the population density. Some examples illustrate the precise relationship. A measure of accessibility is obtained by expressing the availability of facilities as 'one unit within x km distance' (for the average--or, preferably, the median--person). This measure is therefore to be preferred.
De Winter
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DANIDA Health Care Project, Madras, India.
D003365:Costs and Cost Analysis; D003906:Developing Countries; D006275:Health Facility Planning / Q000458:organization & administration*; D006297:Health Services Accessibility / Q000191:economics / Q000458:organization & administration*; D006801:Humans; D010934:Planning Techniques; D011156:Population Density