Geographic distribution of doctors in the state of Bahia: a spatial analysis of cross-section data

Abstract

The objective of the research was to identify and analyze the main determinants of the spatial distribution of doctors in the state of Bahia. Great inequality has been observed in the geographic distribution of doctors in Brazil and in the world, giving rise to broad debates on the subject. Using data from CNES/DATASUS and INEP/MEC, in the years 2010 and 2022, an Exploratory Analysis of Spatial Data was conducted, verifying that the medical physician-to population ratio and some factors that reflect on its agglomeration, are spatially autocorrelated in Bahian municipalities. Subsequently, a spatial analysis was conducted on cross-sectional data using the Durbin Spatial Model (SDM) covering the 417 municipalities of the state of Bahia, observed in the year 2010. The results indicated that the quantity of hospital equipment, hospital beds, other healthcare facilities, population, per capita income, and medical schools were  the main determinants of physician distribution in the Bahian territory.