The Study of Children and Adolescents' Access to Hospitals and Emergency Centers in Kermanshah, West of Iran

Background: The enjoyment of different walks of life of health care is one of the top priorities. To this end, access is a precondition for the establishment of justice in human societies. Given that keeping the health of some groups in societies is of special importance due to their special age-physical conditions, the present study aimed to investigate the access of children and adolescents under 19 years old to hospitals and emergency centers in Kermanshah, Iran. Materials and Methods: In this descriptive-analytic and cross-sectional study, the statistical population comprised the children and adolescents under 19 residing in Kermanshah, Iran. Moreover, all public and private hospitals and emergency centers located in Kermanshah were studied.  To evaluate the spatial deployment pattern of hospitals and emergency centers as well as correct and true access to them, all data and information were evaluated using the Network Analyst and Arc-GIS Software. Results: The results of the present study demonstrated that about 37% of the children and adolescents under 19 had appropriate access to hospitals and emergency centers. In terms of the status of access during 5, 10, and 15 minutes of driving, 42.90%, 80.27% and 89.28% had proper access to hospitals, respectively. Moreover, in terms of access through walking and driving, the 15-19 age group had the most access, as opposed to the 0-4 age group without access. Conclusion: In Kermanshah, the access of children and adolescents under 19 to hospitals and emergency centers using vehicles was in a desirable condition, an indication of the success of implementing some post-revolutionary health plans and reducing deprivation and eliminating inequalities across various regions. However, it should be noted that there were problems in terms of access to hospitals and emergency centers through walking, which requires taking actions by authorities in Kermanshah.