Equity of health resource allocation in Chongqing, China, in 2021: a cross-sectional study

Abstract

Background: Chongqing, the most populous city in Southwest China. This study aims to examine the equity of health resource allocation in Chongqing using the latest statistics, analyse possible shortcomings and propose strategies to address these issues.

Methods: This cross-sectional study used healthcare resource, population, area and gross domestic product data from the Seventh National Census Bulletin of Chongqing, the National County Statistical Yearbook, the Chongqing Municipal Bureau of Statistics and the Chongqing Health Statistical Yearbook 2022. We also studied the equity of health resource allocation in Chongqing by using the Gini coefficient, Lorenz curve and Theil index, and used the Analytical Hierarchy Process and Technique for Order of Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution (AHP-TOPSIS) method to comprehensively evaluate the health resources in the four major regions of Chongqing.

Results: The Gini coefficient of health resources in Chongqing in 2021 was the highest when allocated according to geographical area, between 0.4285 and 0.6081, both of which exceeded 0.4, and the Gini coefficient of medical equipment was the highest and exceeded 0.6. The inter-regional Theil index of each resource was greater than the intraregional Theil index, and the contribution of inter-regional differences ranged from 64.83% to 80.21%. The results of the AHP-TOPSIS method showed that the relative proximity between health resources and ideal solutions in four regions of Chongqing ranged from 0.0753 to 0.9277.

Conclusion: The allocation of health resources in Chongqing exhibits pronounced inequities, particularly in the distribution of medical equipment according to geographical area. Moreover, there exists a substantial gap in the equity of health resource allocation among the four regions of Chongqing. As such, this study emphasises the need for Chongqing, China, to prioritise the equitable allocation of health resources and increase consideration of geographic factors. Implementing measures to promote equitable allocation of health resources, particularly in geographic terms, is critical.

Keywords: HEALTH ECONOMICS; HEALTH SERVICES ADMINISTRATION & MANAGEMENT; Health Equity; Health policy.

Figure 1

Lorentz curve of health resources in Chongqing in 2021. (A) Allocation by population. (B) Allocation by geographical area. (C) Allocation by gross domestic product (GDP).