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We carried out a geographic analysis of the modern health care system in the rural areas of Kouilou and Niari (Republic of Congo). Spatial differences in physical (e.g. vegetation, relief) and human (social and demographic profiles) factors must be characterized because they have an effect on the organization and spatial distribution of the health care system. The location of health care structures depended on the structure of the local environment. The health care system seemed primarily to be a component of the economic development determining population distribution in the forest area. In the savannah, it was part of the local administrative framework, the key factor determining the structure of the local space. Health care services were most used in areas with average to large population densities, in which there were the largest number of health care structures. Areas with "marginal" population densities and health care center distributions had the lowest rates of health care use. Health care zones can be defined by considering geographical characteristics and the characteristics of the health care system. This makes health planning (e.g. opening of health centers, improvement of health centers) much easier to undertake. |
