ObjectiveTo investigate the demand of pediatric health service, the current situation of resource allocation and the equity of health service, so as to provide guidelines for optimizing the resource allocation of pediatric health service in Sichuan province.MethodsA questionnaire of all healthcare institutions with legal capability from a total of 183 prefectures in Sichuan province was performed in 2015. We described the demand of pediatric health service by two-week hospital visit rate, the proportion of no-visit rate within two-weeks, hospital admission rate, and the patient required hospitalization rate. We assessed current situation of resource allocation, equity and accessibility by analyzing Gini coefficient, Lorenz curve and thermodynamic diagram.ResultsThe demand of pediatric health service in Sichuan province was huge and the current resource allocation can be shown a " inverted triangle” form. According to population distribution, the Gini coefficients of physician, bed and equipment were 0.47, 0.40 and 0.49, respectively, which represented inequality in resource allocation. By location, the Gini coefficients of physician, bed and equipment were 0.82, 0.77 and 0.81, respectively, which indicated an absolutely unfair situation.ConclusionsThe health resources of pediatric in Sichuan province are limited, the distribution is unbalanced, and the supply of pediatric healthcare is not compatible with demand. The lack of resources and waste coexist simultaneously. Furthermore, the fairness of distribution in terms of geographical areas is far less than that in terms of population. The accessibility of superior health resources is low.
ObjectivesTo evaluate the fairness of medical resource allocation in the five provinces in Northwest China from 2006 to 2017 so as to provide scientific basis for the optimal allocation of medical resources in Northwest China.MethodsThe Gini coefficient and Theil index were adopted to evaluate the fairness of medical resource allocation from the two dimensions of population and geography.ResultsThe Gini coefficient was above 0.4 in terms of population allocation and geographical distribution in the five provinces in Northwest China from 2006 to 2011, which indicated the medical resources were unbalanced in the five provinces. The Gini coefficient had gradually declined from 0.4 from 2012 to 2017, which indicated the equity of medical resource allocation in the five provinces in Northwest China had gradually become reasonable. The total Thiel index of medical resources in the five northwest provinces in Northwest China from 2006 to 2017 ranged from 0.0829 to 0.187 4. Equity of medical resource allocation: allocation by population was superior to that by geography.ConclusionsIt is necessary to optimize the structure of human medical resources in the five northwest provinces, promote the coordinated development of medical human resources allocation, and narrow the gap of medical resources among the five provinces in Northwest China.
ObjectiveTo evaluate the equity of health care resource allocation in Shanghai and the changing trends from 1995 to 2018.MethodsBeing based on the Gini coefficient and the Theil index, the equity of health care resource allocation in Shanghai from 1995 to 2018 was comprehensively evaluated from the perspective of "demographic equity" and "geographic equity", and the Mann-Kendall non-parametric test was used to predict the trends of changes.ResultsThe Gini coefficient of the distribution of medical and health resources by population in Shanghai from 1995 to 2018 was 0.225 9 to 0.411 9, and the configuration was in a normal or optimal state with an increasing trend. The Gini coefficient distributed by geographic area was 0.892 4 to 0.979 3, which was in a disadvantaged state and a decreasing trend. The overall Theil index ranged from 0.010 9 to 0.058 1, which was a more equitable configuration, but with a decreasing trend. In addition, both the Gini coefficient and the Theil index showed that equity improvements were mainly influenced by the number of health facilities and beds, with health facilities contributing the most to equity, while the disparity in health technician staffs was the main reason for the decline in equity. Inequities in the allocation of health facilities and the number of beds originated mainly within regions, while inequities in the allocation of health technicians originated mainly between regions.ConclusionsThe allocation of health care resources in Shanghai is more equitable and the equity has been on the rise in recent years. However, at the present stage, there is still a contradiction between equitable allocation by population and inequitable allocation by geographic area, and in the future, there is a contradiction between the tendency of inequitable allocation by population and the tendency of equitable allocation by geographic area. Optimizing the allocation of health technicians is the key to improving equity, and addressing regional differences in allocation is an effective way to optimize the allocation of health technicians.