title: Distribution of hospital beds in Tehran Province based on Gini coefficient and Lorenz curve from 2010 to 2012.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Fair distribution of hospital beds across various regions is a controversial subject. Resource allocation in health systems rarely has focused on those who need it most and, in addition, is often influenced by political interests. The study assesses the distribution of hospital beds in different regions in Tehran, Iran, during 2010-2012.
  
  
  METHODS
  This cross-sectional study was conducted in all regions of Tehran (22 regions) during 2010 to 2012. All hospital beds in these regions are included in the study. Data regarding populations of each region were obtained from the Statistics Center of Iran. According to the data, the total number of beds (N.B) and population (P) in 2010 (N.B=19075, P= 7585000), 2011 (N.B=21632, P= 9860500), and 2012 (N.B=21808, P=12818650). The instrument was a form, including the name of the hospital, the district in which the hospital was located, the number of staffed beds, the name of each region, and its population. Data analysis was performed using DASP software version 2.3.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The results demonstrate that the Gini coefficient of distributed beds in 22 regions of Tehran was 0.46 in all three years and specifically calculated 0.4666 in 2010, 0.4658 in 2011 and 0.4652 in 2012. The Gini coefficient of beds in 22 regions of Tehran is not fair in comparison with the population of each region during the years 2010 to 2012.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The results demonstrate that the distribution of beds in regions in Tehran is not fair in relation to the population of each region-and some regions had no hospitals. Therefore, it is essential for policymakers to frequently monitor this issue and investigate the fair distribution of hospital beds.
authors.affiliation: Ph.D. of Health Services Management, Associate Professor, Majlis Research Center, Tehran, Iran.
authors.forename: Iravan Masoudi
authors.initials: IM
authors.lastname: Asl
authors.affiliation: Ph.D. in Health Services Management, Ministry of Health and Medical Education, Tehran, Iran.
authors.forename: Masoud
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Abolhallaje
authors.affiliation: Research Center for Health Services Management, Institute for Futures Studies in Health, Kerman University of Medical Sciences, Kerman, Iran.
authors.forename: Mehdi
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Raadabadi
authors.affiliation: M.Sc. Student of Health Economics, Medical Collage, University of Shahed, Tehran, Iran.
authors.forename: Hamed
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Nazari
authors.affiliation: Ph.D. Student in Health Services Management, Faculty of Medical Sciences, Science and Research Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran.
authors.forename: Aslan
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Nazari
authors.affiliation: Student Scientific Research Center (SSRC), Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
authors.forename: Mohammad
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Salimi
authors.affiliation: M.Sc. in Business Administration, Budgeting and Performance Monitoring Center, Ministry of Health and Medical Education, Tehran, Iran.
authors.forename: Ali
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Javani
keywords: beds/supply and distribution; health care rationing/organization and administration; hospital bed capacity; hospitals; urban
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