Search

This study aims at gaining a better insight into the (complex) way health care is organized in Flanders. With this purpose in mind the spatial component has been analysed. Forty maps are brought together into an "Atlas van de gezondheidszorg in Vlaanderen" ("Atlas of health care in Flanders"). They present a picture of the spatial location of medical and paramedical professions, of health care institutions, medical services, health organizations and health insurance organizations. Although every type of health care supply has its own, unique location pattern, most of them show common characteristics. As the highest concentrations of services and professions are usually located in the largest cities and as similar regional inequalities very often reappear, most maps present an explicit resemblance to the map of the urban network. The spatial organizational structure of most services coincides with the official (administrative) territorial division (especially in provinces). Provinces seems to play an important role in the spatial determination of the operation radius of medical services as well. Individual patient behaviour on the contrary is not influenced by this factor.