Abstract
This study uses household survey data from 2009 to 2010 merged together with geospatial data from the United Nations on health facilities to examine the association between distance to healthcare facilities, health, and healthcare usage in Papua New Guinea, one of the most isolated and rural countries in the world. Greater distance from healthcare facilities reduces access to healthcare by presenting transportation challenges and is expected to reduce both healthcare usage and individual health. Results from multivariate regression analysis suggest distance is a detracting factor, although other factors such as education, socioeconomic status, and access to resources matter more.
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- 1.
These percentages are tabulated by the authors using the full sample of 22,718 individuals in the 2009–2010 HIES.
- 2.
We conducted an extensive search for spatial data encompassing most if not all of the reported health facilities in Papua New Guinea but were unsuccessful. Additionally, outreach to the national statistics office in Papua New Guinea for spatial coordinates of the health facilities reported in (National Department of Health 2011) was unsuccessful. The OCHA data set is the best data currently available.
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Acknowledgment
We thank Sunhwa Lee for her helpful comments on an earlier version of this study and Katie Edwards for her valuable research assistance.
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Kassens, A.L., van der Meulen Rodgers, Y. (2019). Health and Distance to Healthcare in Papua New Guinea. In: Batabyal, A., Higano, Y., Nijkamp, P. (eds) Disease, Human Health, and Regional Growth and Development in Asia. New Frontiers in Regional Science: Asian Perspectives, vol 38. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-13-6268-2_10
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