Transport Connectivity and Health Care Access
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World Bank, Washington, DC
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Health care access is an important
policy concern, especially in rural areas. It is especially
challenging in developing countries, where rural residents
are poorer and less likely to be insured than those living
in urban areas. Using the case of Liberia, this paper
examines the effects of transport connectivity on health
care access. The Ebola crisis in 2014 and 2015 clearly
revealed the vulnerability of the country's transport
and health systems to unexpected external shocks. Paying
particular attention to the possible challenge of
endogeneity associated with infrastructure investment, the
study found that transport connectivity, especially greater
road density, can increase access to health care, but there
was no significant effect of road quality. This may be
because of significantly skewed underlying data. The vast
majority of roads in Liberia are in poor condition. The
study also found that the statistical effect of road density
varies depending on distance from a health facility. The
effect is particularly significant within a 30- to
50-kilometer radius. Not only rural accessibility, but also
broader transport connectivity needs to be developed to
increase health care access.
Palabras clave
RURAL ROADS, HEALTH CARE ACCESS, HEALTH FACILITY, TRANSPORT CONNECTIVITY, EXTERNAL SHOCK, VULNERABILITY, INFRASTRUCTURE INVESTMENT, ROAD DENSITY, ROAD QUALITY, REMOTE AREA