COVID health structure index : the vulnerability of Brazilian microregions.
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Date
2021
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Abstract
Many developing countries have highly unequal health systems across their regions. The
pandemic of COVID-19 brought an additional challenge, as hospital structures equipped
with doctors, intensive care units and respirators are not available to a sufcient extent in
all regions. Using Data Envelopment Analysis, we create a COVID Index to verify whether
the hospital structures in 543 Brazilian microregions are adequate to deal with COVID-19
and to verify whether public policies were implemented in the right direction. The results
indicate that hospital structures in the poorest microregions were the most vulnerable,
although the peak of COVID-19 occurred in the richest microregions (Sao Paulo). The
Southeast states could relocate hospital resources or even patients between their regions.
The relocation was not possible in many states in the Northeast, as the health system poorly
assisted the interior of these states. These fndings reveal that the heterogeneity of microre-
gions’ hospital structures follows the patterns of socioeconomic inequalities. We conclude
that it is easier for the wealthier regions to reallocate hospital resources internally than
for the poorest regions. By using the COVID Index, policymakers and hospital managers
have straightforward information to decide which regions must receive new investments
and reallocate underutilized resources.
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Keywords
Coronavirus pandemic, Health service, Decision index, Data Envelopment Analysis - DEA
Citation
FERRAZ, D. et al. COVID health structure index: the vulnerability of Brazilian microregions. Social Indicators Research, v. 158, p. 197-215, maio 2021. Disponível em: <https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11205-021-02699-3>. Acesso em: 24 maio 2022.