A GIS-based Multi-criteria Analysis to Site Appropriate Locations of Hospitals in Dhaka City

Type Journal Article - Asian Transactions on Engineering
Title A GIS-based Multi-criteria Analysis to Site Appropriate Locations of Hospitals in Dhaka City
Author(s)
Publication (Day/Month/Year) 2013
URL http://www.asian-transactions.org/Journals/Vol03Issue04/ATE/ATE-90305047.pdf
Abstract
Health is one of the basic needs of human being, which is achieving significant importance globally and locally particularly in the city's perspective. Mega city Dhaka is highly confronted with extremely poor living environmental conditions and lack of basic amenities, inadequate healthcare facilities, and outreach of services. Unfortunately, there is lack of policy adaptation and implementation with regard to the spatial dimension of planning for health facilities. Moreover, the health facilities are distributed disproportionately, rather than in an equitable manner. Many poor people do not have access to the healthcare centers in the city. However, it is estimated that, the expected growth of population will put greater pressure on the already inadequate health services. Therefore, it requires examining the spatial distribution of hospitals and providing optimal locations of new hospitals. This study analyzes the existing locations of hospitals in a part of the city and find out suitable locations for providing new hospitals.. This study considers multiples criteria including distances from existing hospitals, roads, educational institutions, industries and water bodies to determine suitable places for new hospitals. To perform this study, the spatial analyst and geo-processing tools of geographic information systems (GIS) were employed. Finally, the suitable locations have been presented in a map, which implicates that the total area of suitable locations for new hospitals in the study area is 10.95 acres comprising 0.48% of the study area. This study thus provides decision makers with suitable sites for new hospital allocation to adequately cover the hospital needs in the study area.

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