Prioritization of Conakry districts for the progressive extension of primary health care coverage

Abstract

Introduction: Low accessibility to primary care services in Conakry affects the health of its population. The health sector, in view of the financial constraints, aims to prioritize the progressive extension of coverage of primary care facilities, as a first step towards universal health coverage.

Objective: Prioritize the five districts of Conakry city, in the Republic of Guinea, for the progressive extension of primary care facilities´ coverage.

Methods: A priority was established for each district based on the logical-deductive analysis of two variables: health level and accessibility level to primary care facilities. The health level was defined according to two criteria: socio-demographic vulnerability and morbidity and mortality level, with the combination of geographic information systems with multicriteria assessment. The level of accessibility was measured with the geographic information system, assessing the proportion of inhabitants by district and their route at intervals, from 1km to more than 4km; it was assumed 2km as the maximum permissible distance by public transport.

Results: The district with the highest priority was Ratoma, followed by Matoto, Kaloum, Matam and Dixinn, in this same order.

Conclusions: Prioritization of districts in Conakry city, according to primary care needs, can support the government in making decisions for the implementation of health policies that allow progress towards universal health coverage.