Informing equitable urban health policy: a multi-source geospatial assessment of spatial mismatch in medical facility distribution across Chinese cities

TL;DR

This paper uses geospatial analysis to show how medical facilities in Chinese cities are unevenly distributed, leading to health inequities.

Contribution

The study introduces a scalable geospatial framework to assess and address spatial mismatches in medical facility distribution.

Findings

Medical resources are over-concentrated in central urban districts, while peripheral areas face under-provision.

Transport infrastructure and land-use regulations hinder equitable access in outlying regions.

Qixia, Liuhe, and Rongcheng are identified as critical underserved zones needing policy intervention.

Abstract

Equitable distribution of medical facilities is a foundational element of urban health policy, particularly in rapidly urbanizing settings where spatial mismatches between healthcare supply and population demand can exacerbate health inequities. In China, despite national efforts to strengthen primary healthcare, the planning and distribution of medical facilities remain uneven, raising concerns about fairness, efficiency, and social justice in public service provision.

We conducted a multi-city geospatial assessment across four major cities in Shandong Province (Jinan, Qingdao, Yantai, and Weihai) using an integrated framework that combines healthcare Points of Interest (POIs), 100-meter resolution census-based population grids, OpenStreetMap road networks, and official land use records. To evaluate spatial equity, we applied the Gini coefficient, global and local indicators of spatial autocorrelation (Moran’s I and LISA), and geographically weighted regression (GWR) to identify disparities and context-specific drivers of medical facility distribution.

Our analysis reveals significant over-concentration of medical resources in central urban districts, while peripheral and county-level areas face systemic under-provision. Gini coefficients ranged from 0.59 to 0.73 indicating high levels of intra-urban inequity. GWR results further show that in core areas, facility location aligns with population density and economic activity, whereas in outlying regions, inadequate transport infrastructure and inflexible land-use regulations constrain equitable access. Notably, Qixia, Liuhe, and Rongcheng emerged as critical underserved zones requiring targeted policy intervention.

This study provides actionable, spatially explicit evidence for urban health policymakers seeking to advance equity in medical resource allocation. By linking fine-grained geospatial analytics with principles of spatial justice, our findings support the redesign of medical facility planning guidelines, the integration of accessibility metrics into smart city governance, and the prioritization of underserved areas in future health infrastructure investment. The methodological approach offers a scalable model for evidence-informed public health policy in other emerging urban contexts.

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