Document Type : Research Paper
Authors
Department of Economics, AR.C., Islamic Azad University, Arak, Iran
Abstract
Population health is one of the most important indicators of human development, and the mortality rate, as a key measure, is influenced by health-related, medical, and social factors. The aim of this study is to examine the spatial effects of health expenditures on health outcomes (mortality rate) across the provinces of Iran during the period 2011–2021. To this end, provincial-level data and a spatial weight matrix are employed to identify spatial dependence among provinces. First, the existence of spatial autocorrelation in mortality rates is confirmed using appropriate diagnostic tests. Then, the Spatial Durbin Model is applied to analyze the impact of health expenditures on health outcomes. The estimation results indicate that mortality rates exhibit significant spatial dependence, such that changes in one province can affect neighboring provinces. Moreover, health expenditures, the number of physicians, and the number of hospital beds have a negative and statistically significant effect on mortality rates, highlighting the important role of expanding health infrastructure and services in reducing mortality. In addition, the level of education shows a significant negative effect on mortality rates, confirming the importance of socio-economic factors in improving health outcomes. Based on these findings, the design and implementation of health policies require a regional and spatial approach, so that through efficient allocation of resources and consideration of spatial spillover effects, a sustainable reduction in mortality rates can be achieved at the national level.
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