To analyze the degree of coupling and coordination between child health care services and pediatric medical resource allocation in Guangdong Province from 2012 to 2020, providing a reference for promoting the coordinated development.

Data on relevant indicators of child health care services and pediatric medical resource allocation from 2012 to 2020 were selected. A comprehensive evaluation was conducted using a comprehensive development index and relative development degree. The coupling coordination model was employed to analyze the coupling coordination between the two systems. Cold and hot spot analysis was utilized to explore the spatial and temporal clustering characteristics of the two systems.

There were significant regional differences in the development levels of child health care services and pediatric medical resources in Guangdong Province from 2012 to 2020, with the relative development degree consistently exceeding 1.2, indicating a lagging configuration of pediatric medical resource allocation. The coupling coordination type transitioned from a severely unbalanced and declining state to a barely coordinated state. Hotspot analysis revealed that from 2012 to 2020, the hotspot areas for the coupling coordination degree of the two systems included Guangzhou, Dongguan, and Shenzhen, with the clustering effect gradually strengthening and expanding southward.

It is essential to enhance the precision of pediatric resource allocation and reduce the disparities in development levels among regions. A macro perspective on the overall structure of child health care services should be adopted to achieve coordinated development between child health care services and pediatric medical resource allocation.