GeoHealthAccess - The Geography of Vulnerability and Health Service Access in Southern Africa, 2016

This project aimed to improve access to health care for those who need it the most, as such more knowledge is needed on barriers to access in resource poor contexts. Access to health services is determined by an interaction of individual vulnerability and geographical accessibility. To understand this interaction, information on physical surroundings, such as topography and availability of facilities, must be combined with people's own evaluation of access, as well as health status and socioeconomic background. The results from our analysis was used to ensure that policies are targeted at the most central barriers in specific areas, for specific groups. If the most vulnerable parts of the population have access to health service, less marginalized groups should also have decent access. The main research question was: How do individual level vulnerability and geographical characteristics affect access to health services in resource poor settings?