Prioritizing investments in public healthcare to address the COVID-19 outbreak: Evidence from Europe and the South Caucasus

Perone, G.;

Health, Econometrics and Data Group (HEDG) Working Papers from HEDG, c/o Department of Economics, University of York

Abstract: This study investigated the association between public healthcare-related features, vaccination rates, and COVID-19 mortality rates in 44 European and South Caucasian nations. COVID-19 mortality rates were averaged for the period from 21 November 2021 to 4 December 2021, i.e., at the peak of the COVID-19 fourth wave. The cross-sectional analysis was performed with the ordinary least squares (OLS) estimator, the spatial autoregressive (SAR) model, and the spatial error (SEM) model. Then, a cluster analysis was conducted to find homogeneous groupings of nations with increasing risk-factors for COVID-19 mortality. The findings revealed that public health expenditure, health personnel, pharmacists, universal health coverage (UHC), and COVID-19 vaccination rates were all significantly and negatively correlated with COVID-19 mortality rates, whereas out-of-pocket expenditure (OOP), and ordinary and intensive care unit (ICU) bed saturation were positively and significantly correlated with COVID-19 mortality rates. Cluster analysis revealed that Eastern European and South Caucasian countries with more decentralized and mostly private insurance-based healthcare systems had the highest risk-factors for COVID-19 mortality, whereas Nordic European countries with universal healthcare systems had the lowest. Thus, countries with publicly financed comprehensive healthcare systems proved to be more effective at lowering COVID-19 mortality rates while easing the burden on national healthcare. These policy recommendations may be beneficial in the event of future such shocks.

Keywords: covid-19 mortality; public healthcare system; spatial analysis; cluster analysis; Europe (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: C21 C38 H50 I18 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2024-05
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