Use of location-allocation models in health service development planning in developing nations

There is considerable evidence that because of poor geographical accessibility, basic health care does not reach the majority of the population in developing nations. Despite the view that mathematical methods of locational analysis are too sophisticated for use in many of these nations, several studies have demonstrated the usefulness of such methods in the locational decision-making process. This paper reviews the use of location-allocation models in health service development planning in the developing nations. The purpose of this review is to examine the suitability of these methods for designing health care systems and their relevance to overall development problems in such countries. Ó 2000 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.