GIS-Enabled Multi-Criteria Assessment for Hospital Site Suitability: A Case Study of Tehran

In developing countries, the interaction between rapid urban expansion and population growth brings forth a host of challenges, particularly concerning essential services like healthcare. While interest in site suitability analysis for identifying optimal hospital locations to ensure equitable and secure healthcare access is on the rise, the absence of a holistic study that encompasses social and environmental aspects in the assessment of hospital site suitability is evident. The objective of this research is to introduce a hybrid methodology that combines Geographic Information Systems (GIS) with Multi-Criteria Decision-Making (MCDM) weighting methods. This methodology aims to create hospital site suitability maps for districts 21 and 22 in Tehran, taking into account socio-environmental factors. In addition to the conventional Analytical Hierarchical Process (AHP) weighting method, this study employs two relatively less-explored methods, the Best-Worst Method (BWM) and Step-wise Weight Assessment Ratio Analysis (SWARA), to enhance the analysis of hospital site suitability. In the SWARA method, there are minimal variations in weights among criteria, indicating that all socio-environmental factors (e.g., distance from existing hospitals, distance from main roads, distance from green spaces) hold significant importance in the decision-making process. Additionally, the findings indicate that the western part of the study area is the most suitable location for the construction of a new hospital. To achieve the average hospital bed availability in Tehran, an additional 2206 beds are required in the studied area, in addition to the existing facilities. Considering the ongoing urban development, population growth, and the potential for natural disasters and epidemics, it becomes essential to enhance the healthcare system by increasing the number of hospitals and available hospital beds. The sensitivity analysis showed that GIS-based SWARA-WLC was the most suitable and stable model for determining hospital site suitability in the study area. This methodology can be adapted for use in other regions and further improved by incorporating additional criteria. In conclusion, the study recommended three specific alternative sites for establishing a new hospital in the study area.