Systemic Constraints to Equitable Medical Access: A Multi-Factorial Analysis of Institutional Infrastructure and Socio-Economic Variables in the Ado-Ekiti Metropole

This study investigates the systemic barriers to equitable healthcare delivery in the Ado-Ekiti metropole through a multi-factorial lens. Integrating a socio-economic survey with established geospatial findings, the research evaluates access across five dimensions: availability, accessibility, accommodation, affordability, and acceptability. Results indicate a significant “access paradox”; while 55.5% of residents perceive services as accessible due to infrastructural clustering (NNR 0.52), 74.5% identify financial status as the primary determinant of care-seeking capacity. The findings reveal that physical proximity is frequently nullified by income volatility and dilapidated transit networks. The study concludes that achieving universal coverage in Ado-Ekiti requires a strategic shift from centralisation to peripheral decentralisation, bolstered by expanded insurance subsidies and the fortification of institutional utilities.