Gasto em saúde, eficiência, sobrevivência infantil e expectativa de vida: uma análise nos municípios da região nordeste, em 2010

Abstract

This study aims to analyze the health quality efficiency of Brazil’s northeast municipalities in 2010, and to verify the determinants of their inefficiency. For this purpose, two methodological approaches were used, firstly, the Data Envelope Analysis (DEA) model was used with variable returns of scale with the correction of the estimation bias, for the measurement of efficiency levels, and secondly, the tobit regression model that will analyze the determinants of health quality inefficiency. Information from the municipalities was obtained from the portals of the Atlas of Human Development and the Ministry of Health. The results show an efficiency low number of the municipalities in health management, noting that of all 1.270 analyzed municipalities, only 7 of them achieved efficient management in health services. That is, effective municipalities in health management were able to achieve the best indicators of health quality, represented by higher levels of child survival and life expectancy. Among the results of the tobit regression, it was found that municipalities with a high proportion of illiterates, with increasing levels of poor children, with low GDP per capita and high income inequality, may find great difficulties in reducing infant mortality and improving life expectation of its population.