RESUMO
OBJECTIVES: Timely access to safe and affordable surgery is essential for universal health coverage. To date, there are no studies evaluating 2-hour access to Bellwether procedures (caesarean section, laparotomy, open fracture management) in the Philippines. The objectives of this study were to measure the proportion of the population able to reach a Bellwether hospital within 2 hours in the Philippines and to identify areas in the country with the most surgically underserved populations. METHODS: All public hospitals with Bellwether capacities were identified from the Philippines Ministry of Health website. The service area tool in ArcGIS Pro was used to determine the population within a 2-hour drive time of a Bellwether facility. Finally, suitability modelling was conducted to identify potential future sites for a surgical facility that targets the most underserved regions in the Philippines. RESULTS: 428 Bellwether capable hospitals were identified. 85.1% of the population lived within 2 hours of one of these facilities. However, 6 regions had less than 80% of its population living within 2 hours of a Bellwether capable facility: Bicol, Eastern Visayas, Zamboanga, Autonomous region of Muslim Mindanao, Caraga and Mimaropa. Suitability analysis identified four regions-Caraga, Mimaropa, Calabarzon and Zamboanga-as ideal locations to build a new hospital with surgical capacity to improve access rates. CONCLUSION: 85.1% of the population of the Philippines are able to reach Bellwether capable hospitals within 2 hours, with regional disparities in terms of access rates. However, other factors such as weather, traffic conditions, financial access, availability of 24-hour surgical services and access to motorised vehicles should also be taken into consideration, as they also affect actual access rates.
