GIS-based multi-criteria analysis for hospital location (case study of Ardabil city)

Dissertation for Master Degree (M.A.)

Department of Geography and Urban Planning

Abstract

Access to urban services is one of the important issues that affect various aspects of urban affairs. Healthcare services are an example of this category, which requires proper access to them for all people. Deciding on the location of healthcare service centers, including hospitals, is not only important in terms of how to provide services and impose costs on users, but also has a significant impact on the development of the city and determining the spatial distribution pattern of the demand for housing. In this study, the main goal of measuring the shortage of hospitals in Ardabil city, how to geographically distribute and optimally locate these centers according to scientific standards and criteria. Then, by using the features of the geographic information system and data analysis, and finally by using the overlap index, it was done for the optimal location of urban spaces in order to build a hospital in this city. In this research, spatial data was prepared from digital maps and descriptive data was collected using statistics and library research. Then, for each of the influencing factors in the location of the hospital, related layers (residential centers, green space, communication network, land use, distance from industrial centers, distance from existing hospital centers, distance from the river) were prepared and the user boundaries were specified in each layer; Then, according to the effect of each of the criteria and pairwise comparisons, the weight of the layers was calculated using the AHP method and with the help of Expert choice software. Finally, using the results of the integration of the information layers, the lands of Ardabil city were divided into 4 categories from excellent to poor to choose the appropriate location for the construction of the hospital. The results show that the current distribution of hospitals in the study area is not proportional to the distribution of the population and most of the hospitals are concentrated in the central parts of the city. In addition, the designated locations for the hospital are suitable for citizens in terms of access time. Keywords: hospital, location, Ardabil, AHP, GIS Chapter 1 Research overview Introduction Urbanization is a positive process and cities are the engine of economic, social and cultural development. But in today's cities, the quality of urban life in terms of comfort, safety and beauty has faced a sharp decline. Unfortunately, contemporary urban planning has not only been unable to overcome these problems, but has sometimes contributed to their aggravation (Kirimi, 2015).  

     In the last decade, especially considering the high costs of medical services due to the development and evolution of medical technology and also the problems that have been faced by most governments in terms of financing these costs, policymakers and statesmen have accepted that healthcare is not a mere social issue and economic aspects should also be considered and investigated. It should be noted that in Iran, more than 5% of the gross domestic product and 5-10% of the government's expenses are allocated to this sector (Farahabadi et al., 1389).

Today, health has become a very important issue and the use of evaluation results, as a management expression that cannot be ignored, has become common for all managers at different levels of the health system (Farahabadi et al., 2019). Therefore, this thesis aims to address the issue of locating optimal locations for the establishment of medical centers in Ardabil city, so that if the financial conditions are ready for the authorities, hospital centers can be built in suitable locations so that citizens have easier access to medical centers, especially hospitals.

Statement of the problem

Since the creation of new service centers requires spending a lot of money, it is very important to determine the best location of these centers so that more citizens can benefit from their services.Failure to choose the optimal location to establish a hospital will create problems that have been found in big cities for the past years, and it suggests that the location of a hospital should be chosen near green spaces and parks and away from commercial and crowded areas, the access roads should be suitable, or in other words, it should be located near the main roads of the city, it should be close to centers with high population density so that more citizens can benefit from its services, and finally, it should be at a suitable distance from existing hospital centers so that the distribution of medical services in the city is appropriate (Farah). Abadi et al., 1390).

     Access to medical services can be examined from two dimensions: lack of use and lack of proper location, lack of an activity requires the establishment of a use in an area, but lack of proper location is a category that does not have a proper location activity and leads to waste of time, energy, cost of commuting, reduced access, forcing to use cars more. (Khakpour et al., 2013).

Geographical information system is a quantitative technique in decision-making, determining trends and location that are used in studies related to location and different levels of planning, turning to geographic information system today is considered one of the most effective ways to promote policy making and improve planning and implementation of urban plans. Therefore, having an advanced and complete geographic information network provides the best basis for various planning and increases productivity in the implementation of plans, even in different departments of urban services (Ahmadi et al., 2013).

As the capital of Ardabil province, the city of Ardabil, due to factors such as rural-urban migration, increasing natural population growth, and the like, has faced excessive population growth and as a result, unplanned physical growth in some urban areas. is While in terms of optimal spatial distribution and fair placement for public service uses, especially health and treatment services, where quick, timely and convenient access to them is important, adequate space has not been considered. Usually, the establishment of many urban and mostly for-profit elements is subject to the economic mechanisms of free competition, but the non-profit public urban elements cannot be completely left to the economic mechanisms of the market, but it is necessary to adhere to the decisions and policies based on interests to compensate for the inefficiencies, which is the main task of planners and public health services units (Yakani Fard, 2010). Therefore, it can be said that the planners try to optimize the distribution of service centers in urban environments and that this distribution is in accordance with the distribution of the population and the amount of demand in different parts of the city.

Research objectives

Presenting a report of the current situation and problems in the city of Ardabil regarding the number and manner of distribution of hospital centers.

The importance of research

Optimal and correct location assignment of the hospital can solve many urban issues and problems. The bigger the city, the more complicated the situation of location allocation and distribution becomes. Considering that the case study of the current research is the city of Ardabil and the development of the city has an exponential trend, therefore accuracy in locating the hospital is very important and necessary. Therefore, paying attention to the required spaces that guarantee the health of the body and soul of the citizens seems necessary in the planning and structure of the city. In this context, the manner of distribution, compatibility and desirability, deficiencies and inadequacies are examined and evaluated.

Research questions

     Considering the role and importance of the location of the hospital, the present research tries to answer the following questions.

To what extent do the hospitals built in Ardabil city meet the needs of the citizens?      

To what extent are hospital locations optimal?

Research Background

In recent years, extensive studies have been conducted in the field of spatial-spatial organization of uses related to medical services. Among these researches that played an effective role in enriching the theoretical foundations of this research, the following can be mentioned:

Azizi believes that although the provision of healthcare services in cities has a long history, there is no long-term history in the field of locating healthcare centers and the history of such studies goes back to the 1970s.