فهرست نشریات علمی دسترسی آزاد ایران

Background: Issues related to distribution of health resources are a persistent policy concern worldwide. The current study aimed to examine inequality in distribution of physicians and hospital beds in Iran between 2001 and 2011. Objectives: The aim of this study was examination of the status of access and need to physicians and hospital beds across provinces of Iran between 2001 and 2011. Results: The Gini coefficient for physicians based on population level and health need index in 2001 (2011) were 0.19 (0.16) and 0.48 (0.47), respectively. Moreover, the Gini coefficient for hospital beds based on population level and health need index in 2001 (2011) were 0.16 (0.13) and 0.38 (0.37), respectively. The concentration and Robin Hood indexes for physicians were -0.11 and 14% in 2001, while they were -0.13 and 11% in 2011, respectively. In addition, the concentration and Robin Hood indexes for hospital beds in 2001 were -0.11 and 7 %, while were -0.10 and 5% in 2011, respectively. Conclusions: Although the total number of physicians and hospital beds increased from 2001 to 2011, but did not necessarily lead to more equal geographical distribution of physicians and hospital beds. Moreover, our study implied that the health resources in Iran have been distributed according to the population level.