Spatial pattern of access to health care facilities and its formation mechanism in Nanjing

Taking Nanjing as the empirical case, this study analyzes the spatial pattern of access to HCFs at the scale of residential parcel using the methods of GIS spatial analysis, and then research the formation mechanism of it. The results show that: there is significant spatial differentiation and spatial agglomeration characteristics in the spatial pattern of access to HCFs in Nanjing. Both spatial access to different types of HCFs and spatial access to multi-type HCFs demonstrate that the accessibility grade declines from the urban center to peripheral area. The accessibility grade of old city area is very good, and accessibility grade of new town and periphery of main urban area is very bad or bad. Meanwhile, the regions with high accessibility grade distribute intensively in old city area, and the regions with low accessibility grade locate intensively in new town and periphery of main urban area. The formation of spatial pattern of access to HCFs in Nanjing is influenced by multiple factors such as historical factor, market economy factor, government factor and health care system factor. The results of this research could provide local governments with related scientific evidence to optimize medical resources spatial distribution.