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Estimating a Health Production Function for Brazil: Some New Evidence
Institute of Economics, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Escopo Energia, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
- 1 Institute of Economics, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
- 2 Escopo Energia, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Theoretical Economics Letters·Volume 10 (2020)·Pages 1073–1092·Published 1 September 2020·DOI10.4236/tel.2020.105063
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Abstract
This paper reports the impact of low-cost health centers on child mortality in Brazil. We use a comprehensive database to evaluate the impact of a change in Brazilian health policy from 2006 to 2009, when the number of health centers per capita increased significantly while hospitals per capita were reduced, indicating a focus on low-cost, low-complexity medical services. Unlike most empirical studies, our results indicate that additional health care decreases mortality. Increasing the number of health centers per capita decreases mortality through access to basic services and make high-complexity hospitals more effective, as they can focus on more serious conditions.
KeywordsHealth Care Economics and OrganizationsHealth ExpendituresChild Mortality
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