Journal of School of Public Health and

Background and Aim: Inequality in the distribution of hospital recourses is a great obstacle in planning and provision of health care. This inequality in mainly observed in the government hospitals in a country. The objective of the present study was to determine the distribution of specialized physicians and active beds in the Iranian government hospitals between 2001 and 2006

Materials and Methods: The method used in the study was retrospective, descriptive- analytical. The data were analyzed (Lorenz Curve and Gini index estimation), using the Excel Software.

Results: Based on the Gini coefficient, the distribution of specialized physicians during the 5-year period (2001-2006) was 0.0876, 0.0874, 0.0909, 0.0329, 0.0951, and 0.0520, respectively. The corresponding figures for active beds were 0.024, 0.0171, 0.0208, 0.0251, 0.0212, and 0.084.

Conclusion: The findings of the study indicate that, in spite of differences in the proportions of specialized physicians and active beds among the provinces with regard to their populations, the distributions in the government hospitals have been equitable. The results of this study can provide useful insights for the country's Health Ministry policy-makers.