Evaluating the Financial Factors Influencing Maternal, Newborn, and Child Health in Africa

Abstract: The study investigated the impact of healthcare system efficiency on the delivery of maternal, newborn, and child services in Africa. Data Envelopment Analysis and Tobit regression were employed to assess the efficiency of 46 healthcare systems across the continent, utilizing the Variable Returns to Scale model with Input orientation to evaluate technical efficiency. The Tobit method was utilized to explore factors contributing to inefficiency, with inputs variables including hospital, physician, and paramedical staff, and outputs variables encompassing maternal, newborn, and child admissions, cesarean interventions, functional competency, and hospitalization days. Results revealed that only 26% of countries exhibited efficiency, highlighting a significant proportion of 74% with inefficiencies. Financial determinants such as current health expenditures, comprehensive coverage index, and current health expenditure per capita were found to have a negative impact on the efficiency of maternal-child services. These findings underscore a marginal deficiency in technical efficiency within Africa's healthcare systems, emphasizing the necessity for policymakers to reassess the roles of both human resources and financial dimensions in enhancing healthcare system performance.