Abstract
This paper presents an application of the minimum distance resource allocation model to the spatial allocation problem of hospital beds in Ibaraki Prefecture, Japan. The prefecture is divided into 92 'origin' zones and 92 'destination' zones, corresponding to municipal boundaries. Assuming the entropy-maximizing behaviour, a doubly-constrained spatial interaction model is formulated on the basis of 1977 patient survey, resulting in the estimation of the distance decay parameter. Patient generation for 1985 is then estimated on the projected 1985 population. The optimal allocation for 1985 is obtained by applying the 'descent' method to the projected 1985 patient generation. The descent vector is recursively calculated by using a formula obtained by applying the Lagrangian multiplier method to the doubly-constrained spatial interaction model. The observed average distance of home-hospital trip in 1977 was 8.82 kilometers, while the possible minimum average distance for 1985 is 7.66 kilometers. If the minimum number of beds in a zone is constrained to 210, the possible minimum would be 8.64 kilometers. It is concluded that the minimum-distance resource allocation model is an effective tool for health facilities planning.
