A geospatial analysis of accessibility and availability to implement the primary healthcare roadmap in Ethiopia

BACKGROUND: Primary healthcare (PHC) is a crucial strategy for achieving universal health coverage. Ethiopia is working to improve its primary healthcare system through the Optimization of Health Extension Program (OHEP), which aims to increase accessibility, availability and performance of health professionals and services. Measuring current accessibility of healthcare facilities and workforce availability is essential for the success of the OHEP and achieving universal health coverage in the country. METHODS: In this study we use an innovative mixed geospatial approach to assess the accessibility and availability of health professionals and services to provide evidence-based recommendations for the implementation of the OHEP. We examined travel times to health facilities, referral times between health posts and health centers, geographical coverage, and the availability and density of health workers relative to the population. RESULTS: Our findings show that the accessibility and availability of health services in Somali region of Ethiopia is generally low, with 65% of the population being unable to reach a health center or a health post within 1 h walking and referral times exceeding 4 h walking on average. The density of the health workforce is low across Somali region, with no health center being adequately staffed as per national guidelines. CONCLUSIONS: Improving accessibility and addressing healthcare worker scarcity are challenges for implementing the primary care roadmap in Ethiopia. Upgrading health posts and centers, providing comprehensive services, and training healthcare workers are crucial. Effective outreach strategies are also needed to bridge the gap and improve accessibility and availability.