ASSESSMENT OF WEST AZERBAIJAN CITIES IN TERMS OF ACCESSING TO HEALTHCARE DEVELOPMENT INDICES

Being fair in distribution of health care services is the main factor in accessing and enjoying the health services. The aim of this study was to examine the regional disparities in health care services in West Azerbaijan province. This study was a descriptive analytical study which was carried out on different cities of West Azerbaijan province. Study sample included the towns of West Azerbaijan province, ranked based on 15 health indices. The indices were calculated using Shannon entropy. Finally, three methods (Standardized Score, Numerical Taxonomy, TOPSIS technique) were used to rank the cities of the West Azerbaijan in terms of accessing to health indices. The findings showed distinct regional disparities in health care services across West Azerbaijan province. Shannon entropy introduced the number of rural active health center per 1000 people as the most important indicator and the number of laboratory per 1000 people as the less important indicator. According to Copeland method, Urmia and Piranshahr cities were ranked as first and the last in terms of accessing to health care services respectively. There are significant differences of healthcare service access in the cities of the West Azerbaijan province. Therefore, policy makers should consider resource allocation according to the access to health care indices.