Document Type : Original Article
Authors
1 MSc Student, Health Services Management, Science and Research Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran
2 Ministry of Health and Medical Education, Tehran, Iran
3 Assistant Professor, Social Determinants of Health Research Center, School of Public Health, Urmia University of Medical Sciences, Urmia, Iran
Abstract
Introduction: Equity in health means justice in the distribution of community health. The
purpose of justice in health is to consider health needs of all people regardless of their
geographical location or cultural, economic, and social status. The aim of this study was to assess
distribution of specialists based on population (100,000 people) in public hospitals of Iranian
provinces during 2010.
Methods: In this descriptive study, distribution of each specialization in different provinces was
shown as maximum, minimum, mean, standard deviation, and median. In order to display the
relation between number of specialists and population, the correlation coefficient was employed.
Data was analyzed using SPSS.
Results: The highest and lowest ratios of specialists to population of 100,000 people in specialty
fields were observed in case of pediatricians (1.72) and neurosurgeons (0.31), respectively. The
highest and lowest correlations between specialized fields and population were in pathology
(0.96) and psychiatry (0.47), respectively. Meanwhile, the highest and lowest ratios of specialists
to population were observed in Yazd Province (19.22) and Sistan and Baluchestan Province (8.8),
respectively.
Conclusion: This study showed a high correlation between the number of specialists and
population in public hospitals of Iran. Moreover, distribution of specialists was more
homogeneous during the last five years. Appropriate management can improve the current status.
Keywords
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