Abstract:

Objective To deeply analyze the efficiency of different allocations of health resources, to propose advices for the development, and to provide evidences for regional health planning by studying the efficiency of the allocation of health resources in Chongqing from different levels. Methods Two input indexes (numbers of beds and medical technicians) and two output indexes (numbers of inpatients and total visits) of district and county medical institutions, municipal medical institutions, and town hospitals in 38 counties of Chongqing in 2012 were analyzed by the BCC model of data envelopment analysis (DEA) method for the efficiency of the allocation of health resources. Results The overall efficiency of the allocation of health resources of Chongqing was low. The numbers of relatively effective regions for DEA of medical institutions in 9 main urban areas and town hospitals were 5 and 6. The relatively effective rates for DEA of other districts and counties medical institutions, municipal medical institutions, and town hospitals were 21%, 33%, and 35%. Conclusion The allocation of health resources of Chongqing is unbalanced. The overall efficiency is low. The efficiency of the allocation of health resources in urban areas is relatively high. The efficiency of the allocation of health resources of medical institutions in suburb areas and municipal medical institutions is low. Input redundancy and insufficient utilization coexist in some areas. Regional health planning should be enhanced to realize the reasonable utilization of health resources.

Key words: health resource allocation, efficiency, data envelopment analysis