Estimating minimum travel time to emergency medical services in Nairobi, Kenya

Abstract

Long travel times pose a barrier for those seeking emergency medical treatment in many developing countries. But little is known about travel times to facilities within cities and how this varies by type of facility and under different traffic conditions. The literature contains some estimates of travel times to emergency care, but most take place within a developed setting or are surveys that do not specify the origin of travel. Our study uses a network approach to calculate minimum travel times to different types of facilities in Nairobi, Kenya under both congested and uncongested traffic conditions. We find that higher-level facilities are much less accessible than low-level facilities and that those in poverty must travel slightly farther than the general population to reach care. We expect that this approach will provide policy-makers with granular geographic data to reduce travel times and improve access in Nairobi and other cities.