Locating Health Facilities in Nouna District, Burkina Faso

The Nouna health district in Burkina Faso, Africa, has a population of approximately 275,000 people living in 290 villages, who are served by 23 health facilities. At present, the time and effort required in travelling to a health facility (especially during the rainy season) is, for many people, a deterrent to seeking proper medical care. As one step toward improving health care for the people in the district, this study focuses on the problem of optimally locating new health facilities. In light of a government goal that every village should have a health facility within 10 kilometers, the basic model we use for this problem is a covering model, which we then further adapt to the specific situation in Nouna. In this paper we will discuss our application of location analysis techniques to this problem, including an analysis of the current situation, the creation of an appropriate model, solution techniques, and final results.