Equity in Distribution of Hospital Beds in Semnan Province

Health equity means having fair access to needed healthcare services, paying healthcare costs according to payment capacity, and enjoying the highest achievable standard of health. Equitable distribution of hospital beds increases people’s access to health services, which in turn improves their health status. This study aimed to examine the equity in the distribution of hospital beds in Semnan Province, Iran.

Data for  this descriptive and cross-sectional study were obtained from the Ministry of Health and the Iranian Statistics Center. The study population consisted  of  all  Semnan  Province hospitals in 2016. The equity in the distribution of hospital beds was evaluated using the Lorenz curve and the Gini coefficient. Excel software was used for data analysis.

The population of Semnan province was 702,360 in 2016. There were 11 hospitals with 1,485 beds in this province in 2016. There were 1.6 hospitals per 100,000 population and 2.1 hospital beds per 1000 population in the Province. Shahroud, Semnan, and Damghan cities have had the highest hospital beds per 1000 population. About 36% of hospitals and 51% of hospital beds were in the city of Shahroud. The Gini coefficient for hospital bed distribution in the Semnan province was 0.28.

The distribution of hospital beds in Semnan Province was fair. Equitable allocation of hospital beds, particularly in less developed cities, is necessary for achieving fairness in population health. Health policymakers and managers should take measures to improve equity in access to hospital beds.