OPEN-ACCESS PEER-REVIEWED

1Dr. Sabita Sapkota, 2Dr. Meeta Ratawa Tiwary, 3Dr. Mrs. Kirti Bhushan Zare, 4Paramjeet Kumar

1*Assistant Professor, Department of Commerce, College: Sikkim Government College, Namchi. under Sikkim University, Gangtok

2Assistant Professor, Department of Geography, Nehru Gram Bharati (Deemed to be University)

3Assistant professor, Dr. D. Y. Patil Institute of Engineering, Management & Research, Akurdi Pune D. Y. Patil International University

4Research Scholar, Department of Tourism and Hotel Management,North EasternHill University, Shillong, Meghalaya

Download PDF

Abstract

Healthcare services are one of the most important factors that define social conditions in urban settings. This paper explores the healthcare accessibility issue in four urban areas, namely Central Cityville, Midtown Suburbia, Riverside Shantytown, and Greenfield Heights,and the effects on the inhabitants’ health and social integration. Quantitative surveys and spatial analysis show that there are disparities in the healthcare facilities and usage in the community. Interviews and case studies provide additional qualitative data on the factors that hinder access to healthcare services such as socio-economic status and distance. The study reaffirms the role of socio-economic status in the use of health services and reveals that rich districts are healthier than poor districts with poor access to healthcare services. The comparison with the prior research supports the conclusion about the existing inequalities in healthcare access and the necessity of further interventions and changes in the policies toimprovehealthcare equity and social well-being in urban environments.

Keywords: Healthcare access, social well-being, urban areas, socio-economic disparities, healthcare infrastructure.

References

[1]. Basu J. (2022). Research on Disparities in Primary Health Care in Rural versus Urban Areas: Select Perspectives. International journal of environmental research and public health, 19(12), 7110. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19127110
[2]. Braveman, P., & Gottlieb, L. (2014). The social determinants of health: it’s time to consider the causes of the causes. Public Health Reports (Washington, D.C.: 1974), 129 Suppl 2(Suppl 2), 19–31. https://doi.org/10.1177/00333549141291S206
[3]. Cheng, M., Tao, L., Lian, Y., & Huang, W. (2021). Measuring Spatial Accessibility of Urban Medical Facilities: A Case Study in Changning District of Shanghai in China. International journal of environmental research and public health, 18(18), 9598. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph18189598
[4]. Delong S. (2023). Urban health inequality in shifting environment: a systematic review on the impact of gentrification on residents’ health. Frontiers in public health, 11, 1154515. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2023.1154515
[5]. Guagliardo, M.F. Spatial accessibility of primary care: concepts, methods, and challenges. Int J Health Geogr 3, 3 (2004). https://doi.org/10.1186/1476-072X-3-3
[6]. Gulliford, M., Figueroa-Munoz, J., Morgan, M., Hughes, D., Gibson, B., Beech, R., & Hudson, M. (2002). What does “access to health care” mean? Journal of Health Services Research & Policy, 7(3), 186–188. https://doi.org/10.1258/1 35581902760082517
[7]. Kirby, J. B., & Kaneda, T. (2005). Neighborhood socioeconomic disadvantage and access to health care. Journal of health and social behavior, 46(1), 15–31. https://doi.org/10.1177/002214650504600103
[8]. Marmot, M., Friel, S., Bell, R., Houweling, T. A., Taylor, S., & Commission on Social Determinants of Health (2008). Closing the gap in a generation: health equity through action on the social determinants of health. Lancet (London, England), 372(9650), 1661–1669. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(08)61690-6
[9]. McMaughan, D. J., Oloruntoba, O., & Smith, M. L. (2020). Socioeconomic Status and Access to Healthcare: Interrelated Drivers for Healthy Aging. Frontiers in public health, 8, 231. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2020.00231
[10]. Mosadeghrad A. M. (2014). Factors influencing healthcare service quality. International journal of health policy and management, 3(2), 77–89. https://doi.org/10.15171/ijhpm.2014.65
[11]. Mouratidis, K. (2021). Urban planning and quality of life: A review of pathways linking the built environment to subjective well-being. Cities, 115, 103229. https://doi.org/10.1016 /j.cities.2021.103229
[12]. Schröder, J., Moebus, S., & Skodra, J. (2022). Selected Research Issues of Urban Public Health. International journal of environmental research and public health, 19(9), 5553. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19095553
[13]. Smith J. (2001). Primary care: balancing health needs, services, and technology. International Journal of Integrated Care, 1, e36.
[14]. Starfield, B., Shi, L., & Macinko, J. (2005). Contribution of primary care to health systems and health. The Milbank Quarterly, 83(3), 457–502. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1468-0009.20 05.00409.x
[15]. The World Health Report 2010. (2012, June 16). Retrieved from https://www.who.int/ publications/i/item/9789241564021
[16]. Fosu, G. B. (1989). Access to Health Care in Urban Areas of Developing Societies. Journal of Health and Social Behavior/Journal of Health & Social Behavior, 30(4), 398. https://doi.org/10.2307/2136988
[17]. Bai, X., Nath, I., Capon, A., Hasan, N., & Jaron, D. (2012). Health and wellbeing in the changing urban environment: complex challenges, scientific responses, and the way forward. Current Opinion in Environmental Sustainability, 4(4), 465–472. https://doi.org/10.1016 /j.cosust.2012.09.009
[18]. Sclar, E. D., & Volavka-Close, N. (2011). Urban Health: An Overview. Encyclopedia of Environmental Health, 556–564. https://doi.org /10.1016/B978-0-444-52272-6.00322-6