FACTORS AFFECTING HEALTHCARE ACCESSIBILITY IN NIGERIA COMMUNITIES: A CASE STUDY OF ARUOGBA AND EVBUOTUBU COMMUNITIES IN BENIN CITY, EDO STATE

Healthcare accessibility is pertinent to community development. The ease of accessibility of healthcare to the community has a positive impact on the members of the community and by extension serves as a factor for community development. This study was conducted to determine the factors affecting healthcare accessibility in relation to community development in the Arougba and Evbuotubu communities of Benin City, Edo State. The specific objectives were to examine the physical, financial, and administrative accessibility of healthcare facilities, as well as to investigate the awareness of healthcare utilization among residents. The study adopted a descriptive and correlational survey research design. The population of the study was 18,223 residents of Arougba and Evbuotubu communities of Benin City. The sample size was determined by the Yamane (1967) formular as 391.Structured questionnaire was the research instrument. Pearson’s correlation was used to test the hypothetical relationships between the dimensions of accessibility and community development. The findings indicated that physical accessibility (r = -0.341, p < 0.01) and financial accessibility (r = -0.518, p < 0.01) have significant negative relationships with community development, driven by deplorable road conditions and high out-of-pocket costs that strain household budgets. On the other hand, administrative accessibility (r = 0.528, p < 0.01) and awareness of utilisation (r = 0.691, p < 0.01) were found to have significant positive impacts on development. The study concludes that while the community is wellinformed and administratively supported, structural and economic barriers remain the primary inhibitors of progress. Consequently, the study recommends that the government prioritise road rehabilitation and implement inclusive health insurance schemes to reduce financial burdens and enhance the overall utilization of healthcare facilities for sustainable community development.