![]() The WorldPop Project was used to estimate population distribution, and OpenStreetMap was used to determine travel routes. Health facilities included are public hospitals administered by the Rwanda Ministry of Health. In this study, we describe geographic access to cancer care centers (CCCs) in Rwanda with the current facilities providing care and examine how access could change with expanded care infrastructure. Geographic access to care is an important measure of health equity. Many study facilities were deficient in the basic infrastructure necessary for providing basic surgical care on a consistent basis. However, the combined catchments of the study hospitals in each study country that met the criteria for the provision of consistent basic surgical services were substantially smaller and varied between 1.3 million in Liberia and 79.2 million in Bangladesh. The combined catchments of the study hospitals in each study country varied between 3.3 million people in Liberia and 151.3 million people in Bangladesh. Only 41 (34.2%) of the 120 study hospitals met the criteria for the provision of consistent basic surgical services. A hospital was only considered to show consistent availability of basic surgical resources if clean water, electricity, essential medications including intravenous fluids and at least one anaesthetic, analgesic and antibiotic, a functional pulse oximeter, a functional sterilizer, oxygen and providers accredited to perform surgery and anaesthesia were always available. Each hospital’s catchment population was defined as the people who could reach the hospital via a vehicle trip of no more than two hours. ![]() Data were geocoded and then analysed using an online data visualization platform. ![]() Hospital sites were selected by pragmatic sampling. In 2010–2014, we used a situational analysis tool to collect data at district and regional hospitals in Bangladesh (n = 14), the Plurinational State of Bolivia (n = 18), Ethiopia (n = 19), Guatemala (n = 20), the Lao People's Democratic Republic (n = 12), Liberia (n = 12) and Rwanda (n = 25). ![]() To assess the consistent availability of basic surgical resources at selected facilities in seven countries. ![]()
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