title: Assessment inequality in access to public cardiovascular health services in Iran.
abstract: Background:Timely access to cardiovascular health services is necessary to prevent heart damages. The present study examined inequality in geographical distribution of cardiovascular health services in Iran.Methods:Present study is a cross-sectional study conducted using demographic data from all Iranian provinces (31 provinces) from 2012 census by the Statistics Center of Iran (SCI). The Gini coefficients of CCU beds and cardiologists were used to assess equality in access to cardiovascular health services in Iran. MS Excel software was used to calculate Gini coefficients.Results:The proportions of CCU bed and cardiologist per 100,000 population were 4.88 and 1.27, respectively; also the Gini coefficients were 0.129 and 0.045, respectively.Conclusion:Descriptive statistics showed a skewness in distribution of pubic cardiovascular health services in Iran, though Gini coefficient revealed no significant inequality. However, equal distribution of CCU beds and cardiovascular specialists does not mean they are sufficiently available in Iran.
authors.affiliation: PhD Student of Health Economics, Health Management Research Center, Baqiyatallah University of Medical sciences, Tehran, Iran, & Faculty of Management and Economics, Tarbiat Modares University, Tehran, Iran. mailer.amiri@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Mohammad
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Meskarpour-Amiri
authors.affiliation: MSc in Health Economics, Modeling in Health Research Center, Institute for Futures Studies in Health, Kerman University of Medical Sciences, Kerman, Iran. n.dopeykar@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Nooredin
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Dopeykar
authors.affiliation: Associate Professor, Health Management Research Center, Baqiyatallah University of Medical sciences, Tehran, Iran. ad_amer_heli@yahoo.com.
authors.forename: Ahmad
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ameryoun
authors.affiliation: Professor, Health Management Research Center, Baqiyatallah University of Medical sciences, Tehran, Iran. mehrab@bmsu.ac.ir.
authors.forename: Ali
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Mehrabi Tavana
keywords: Cardiovascular services; Gini coefficient; Inequality; Iran; Public health