Assessing Equity in the Provision of Primary Healthcare Centers in Buenos Aires Province (Argentina): A Stochastic Frontier Analysis

Florencia Arnaudo, Fernando Lago and Valentina Viego ()
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Florencia Arnaudo: Universidad Nacional del Sur, Conicet
Fernando Lago: Universidad Nacional del Sur, IIESS

Applied Health Economics and Health Policy, 2017, vol. 15, issue 3, No 13, 425-433

Abstract: Abstract Background Unequal access to healthcare between individuals or populations does not imply the existence of inequities as it must be controlled for differences in need. This is usually done either via direct or indirect standardization methods. Objective We study the degree of equity in the availability of public primary healthcare centers between the 134 municipalities of the Buenos Aires province (Argentina) with a novel application of an existing statistical tool. Methods Stochastic frontier analysis was applied to estimate the number of primary care facilities that should be available in each municipality according to demographic variables (population under age 4 years and above age 65 years), as they are the population groups with higher healthcare needs. Results Under all specifications tried, the endowment of primary healthcare centers at the municipal level tends to increase (but less than proportionally) with the size of the population at risk. In addition, wealthier jurisdictions tend to be more equitable but also more heterogeneous. Conclusions Stochastic frontier analysis allows us to discriminate between those districts that, according to their needs, are underserved, from those who have a surplus of health facilities. This approach can also help to explore what other elements might be responsible for the observed inequities.

Keywords: Stochastic Frontier; Stochastic Frontier Analysis; Fiscal Decentralization; Stochastic Frontier Model; Buenos Aires Province (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2017
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DOI: 10.1007/s40258-016-0303-9

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