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. 2023 Nov 27;16(1):350.
doi: 10.1186/s13104-023-06634-2.

The impact of the Iranian health transformation plan policy on equitable access to medical imaging services in West Iran

Maryam Saran  1 , Banafsheh Darvishi Teli  2 , Aziz Rezapour  2 , Soraya Nouraei Motlagh  1 , Meysam Behzadifar  1 , Payam Haghighatfard  2 , Nicola Luigi Bragazzi  3 , Masoud Behzadifar  4
Affiliations

The impact of the Iranian health transformation plan policy on equitable access to medical imaging services in West Iran

Maryam Saran et al. BMC Res Notes. .

Abstract

Objective: Equity in the delivery of health services, including diagnostic imaging, is crucial to achieving universal health coverage. The Health Transformation Plan (HTP), launched in 2014, represents a major healthcare policy to improve the quality and accessibility of healthcare services. This study aimed to explore the impact of the HTP on equity in the access to medical imaging in Lorestan province, located in west Iran, from 2014 to 2023. Annual growth rates (AGR) of imaging devices were calculated, whilst equity assessment of medical imaging distribution was carried out by means of the Gini coefficient and the Lorenz curve per 100,000 population. The latter was generated using the cumulative distribution of imaging devices, as well as the cumulative population ratio.

Results: Between 2014 and 2023, the number of imaging devices has increased threefold. The AGR of installing CT and MRI scanners in Lorestan province increased between 2014 and 2023. The Gini coefficients increased from 0.12 for CT and 0.16 for MRI in 2014 to 0.33 in 2023 for both devices. This indicates a decrease in equity in access to these fundamental health technologies despite the increase in their figures. Policymakers should better allocate medical equipment based on the specific health needs of different regions throughout Iran.

Keywords: Diagnostic imaging; Equity in Healthcare; Gini Coefficient; Health Economics; Health Policy; Health Transformation Plan; Iran; Lorenz Curve.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that they have no competing interests.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Lorenz curve evaluating the fairness in access to CT scanners in Lorestan province, west Iran, from 2014 to 2023
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Lorenz curve evaluating the fairness in access to MRI scanners in Lorestan province, west Iran, from 2014 to 2023
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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