Spatial distribution of health facilities in Islamabad, Pakistan

There are no comprehensive, spatially referenced databases of public and private health facilities in any of the countries of the Eastern Mediterranean Region. This study in Pakistan was conducted to demonstrate the feasibility of creating a spatially referenced health facility database for a medium-sized city, in a low-cost, non-resource intensive manner and to visualize the spatial relationship between hospitals and clinics in the city of Islamabad. Cumulatively, 166 (77.6% of all clinics mapped) were in close proximity (within 1 km) to a hospital. Repeating such studies elsewhere would help us to better understand different spatial distribution patterns, the reasons for them and the implications for health-care planning.