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Do Primary Healthcare Facilities in More Remote Areas Provide More Medical Services? Spatial Evidence from Rural Western China

Author

Listed:
  • Shen, Chi

    (Xi’an Jiaotong University)

  • Lai, Sha

    (Xi’an Jiaotong University)

  • Deng, Qiwei

    (Xi’an Jiaotong University)

  • Cao, Dan

    (Xi’an Jiaotong University)

  • Zhao, Dantong

    (Xi’an Jiaotong University)

  • Zhao, Yaxin

    (Xi’an Jiaotong University)

  • Zhou, Zhongliang

    (Xi’an Jiaotong University)

  • Dong, Wanyue

    (Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine)

  • Chen, Xi

    (Yale University)

Abstract

Primary healthcare institutions (PHIs) in China have experienced a sizable decline in medical services in recent years. Despite the large regional disparities in China, there is a lack of evidence on the differential patterns of medical services offered by PHIs, especially from a spatial perspective. This study examines whether residents in more remote areas use more medical services offered by township healthcare centers (THCs), a main type of PHIs. Linking medical visits to 923 THCs in a western Chinese province in 2020 with the driving time and geographic coordinates from the Gaode map, a leading map navigation provider in China, we applied a multilevel linear model and a geographically weighted regression to examine spatial heterogeneity in medical service utilization. We showed that a one-hour increase in the shortest driving time between THCs and the local county hospitals was associated with an average 6% increase in THCs outpatient visits and a 0.6% increase in THCs inpatient visits. Our findings suggest that THCs located in more remote areas provided more medical services, especially outpatient services.

Suggested Citation

  • Shen, Chi & Lai, Sha & Deng, Qiwei & Cao, Dan & Zhao, Dantong & Zhao, Yaxin & Zhou, Zhongliang & Dong, Wanyue & Chen, Xi, 2023. "Do Primary Healthcare Facilities in More Remote Areas Provide More Medical Services? Spatial Evidence from Rural Western China," IZA Discussion Papers 16332, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    • Handle: RePEc:iza:izadps:dp16332
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    More about this item

    Keywords

    primary healthcare institutions; spatial accessibility; disparities; medical service; China;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • I11 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Health - - - Analysis of Health Care Markets
    • I14 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Health - - - Health and Inequality
    • I18 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Health - - - Government Policy; Regulation; Public Health
    • R53 - Urban, Rural, Regional, Real Estate, and Transportation Economics - - Regional Government Analysis - - - Public Facility Location Analysis; Public Investment and Capital Stock

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