Physical Accessibility to Public Healthcare Facilities in Ekiti State, Nigeria: Case Study of Gbonyin Local Government, Area

Unhindered access to healthcare facilities is an indispensable and cardinal stance in the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) which represents an important aspect of attaining inclusive development for enhanced living. However, the condition of transportation system within a region serves vital roles in community interaction and connection of residents to contrasting land uses. In essence, this study examined how residents convey to public healthcare facilities in the study area. Notably, 240 households were sampled systematically using structured questionnaire. Descriptive and inferential statistics were employed for data analysis. Findings established that majority of the respondents (41.7%) accessed transport facilities with motorcycle, while 19.2% of the respondents indicated foot. In addition, majority of the respondents (42.9%) revealed that road condition was fair. Similarly, many (85.5%) of the respondents often spend less than 30 minutes to access public medical services. It was equally observed that majority (72.6%) of the sampled respondents travelled a distance below 5km, which is considered acceptable. Further statistical analysis through Pearson correlation indicates that cost of transportation is significantly related to distance travelled. The available facilities and mode of transportation to public healthcare facilities insignificantly related to the frequency of visit to the facilities. It was concluded that the study area lacks adequate mode of transportation to access public healthcare facilities for emergency cases as majority using motorcycle could have effect on the sick been transported. It is suggested that improvement of existing and provision of new transport infrastructure would ensure effective and qualitative public healthcare services accessible to the residents.