Analysis of Road Accessibility by Residents and Tourists to Public Hospitals in Mallorca (Balearic Islands, Spain)

Abstract

Accessibility to public hospital services is crucial for healthcare provision, particularly in regions characterized by high tourist presence, such as the Mediterranean islands. This study aims to assess the accessibility of public hospital services in Mallorca, considering access time, the geographic distribution of the resident population, and tourist accommodations. A GIS-based analysis using optimal routing algorithms and the Gini index was conducted to examine the equity in the distribution of regional and reference hospitals across four Health Sectors: Ponent, Migjorn, Tramuntana, and Llevant. The findings reveal that accessibility to regional hospitals is generally favorable, with average access times of 18, 16, 15, and 26 min, respectively, without surpassing 60 min. Accessibility to referral hospitals is comparatively lower, with 31,499 individuals located more than 1 h away. Moreover, 56% of the population is within 10 min from the referral hospital, and only 1.6% require more than 50 min to reach the hospital. Accessibility differs among Health Sectors, with Llevant experiencing the most significant impact. The hospital distribution in Mallorca is deemed to be adequate to serve residents, tourists, and the road network. Although limited in comparisons to other studies conducted in Spain, accessibility in Mallorca is fairly similar to Andalusia, Extremadura, and Catalonia. The study underscores the necessity for health infrastructure planning in order to account for the distribution of resident and tourist populations to ensure efficient and equitable services, particularly in Mediterranean island environments with a substantial tourist presence.