Travel times and distances to health services in Australia

Geographic accessibility, the ability to physically reach healthcare services, is a critical determinant of healthcare equity and outcomes. In Australia, over 42,000 individuals residing in inner regional, outer regional, remote, or very remote areas lack access to any primary healthcare service within a 60-minute drive. Such limited access is associated with reduced service utilisation and poorer health outcomes. This study examined national patterns of healthcare accessibility by estimating average driving times and distances between geographic areas (Mesh Blocks, Statistical Areas Level 2, Postal Areas and Modified Monash Model areas within each Australian State and Territory) and selected healthcare services. Using the Open Source Routing Machine, we calculated travel times to the nearest public and private hospitals, emergency departments, general practitioners, bulk-billing general practitioners, and pharmacies. The resulting dataset enables consistent healthcare accessibility comparisons across service types and geographic regions in Australia. The Python code used in this analysis is publicly available and can be adapted to generate similar datasets for other countries.