Banca de DEFESA: ELAINE DOS SANTOS SIMÕES

GEOGRAPHIC DISTRIBUTION OF DOCTORS IN THE STATE OF BAHIA: A SPATIAL ANALYSIS OF CROSS-SECTION DATA

Distribution of doctors in Bahia; Exploratory Spatial Data Analysis; Spatial Econometrics; Durbin Space Model.

The objective of this research was to identify and analyze the main determinants of the spatial distribution of doctors in the State of Bahia. The equitable spatial distribution of doctors, professionals who are important direct providers of health services, appears as an important factor associated with the notion of equity of access in health systems. However, what has been observed is a great inequality in the geographical distribution of doctors in Brazil and around the world, which has given rise to broad debates on the topic. In this sense, the literature points out that the main motivational factors that reflect the concentration of doctors in certain regions are linked, mainly, to personal, professional and remuneration reasons. Thus, based on data referring to the years 2010 and 2022, an Exploratory Spatial Data Analysis (AEDE) was carried out, having verified that the medical indicator per thousand inhabitants, and some factors that reflect on its agglomeration, are autocorrelated in the Bahian municipalities. Subsequently, a spatial analysis was carried out on cross-section data, using the Durbin spatial model (SDM), based on the database referring to the 417 municipalities in the State of Bahia, observed in 2010. The results indicated that the amount of hospital equipments, hospital beds, population, per capita income and medical schools were the main determinants of the distribution of doctors in the Bahian territory