Assessing the efficiency of the Covid-19 control measures and public health policy in OECD countries from cultural perspectives

PurposeTo identify sources of the success and failure of COVID-19 control measures and develop best-practice public health policy in mitigating the spread of COVID-19, this paper aims to evaluate the efficiency of various combinations of government COVID-19 control measures among OECD countries. This paper also identifies which factors critically influence the efficiency of COVID-19 control measures.Design/methodology/approachThis paper employed two-stage network SBM (slacks-based measure of efficiency) models with variable returns-to-scale and constant returns-to-scale, respectively, among various forms of data envelopment analysis (DEA) models. As a post hoc analysis, the authors used Tobit regression for examining the causal relationship between a nation's cultural dimensions and its COVID-19 control measure's efficiency scores.FindingsThe authors found that the pervasive less individualistic and higher uncertainty avoiding culture positively influenced the efficient control of COVID-19 outbreaks since such a culture helped the government impose its mandatory COVID-19 control measures without people's strong resistance to those measures.Originality/valueMany public health policymakers are wondering why COVID-19 control measures are not effective in coping with the COVID-19 outbreaks. This paper helps the government find the most efficient combination of COVID-19 controls measures for curbing the spread of the stubborn coronavirus. This paper is one of the first attempts to identify pandemic risk mitigation factors from a cultural perspective.

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Health system efficiency in OECD countries: dynamic network DEA approach

Health Economics Review ◽

10.1186/s13561-021-00337-9 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Beata Gavurova ◽

Kristina Kocisova ◽

Jakub Sopko

Keyword(s):

Public Health ◽

Medical Care ◽

Health Systems ◽

Returns To Scale ◽

Health Sector ◽

Dynamic Network ◽

Oecd Countries ◽

The Public ◽

Overall Efficiency ◽

Constant Returns To Scale

Abstract Background In recent years, measuring and evaluating the efficiency of health systems has been explored in the context of seeking resources to ensure the sustainability of ‘countries’ health and social systems and addressing various crises in the health sector. The study aims to quantify and compare the efficiency of OECD health systems in 2000, 2008, and 2016. The contribution to research in the field of efficiency in the healthcare system can be seen in the application of Dynamic Network Data Envelopment Analysis (DNDEA), which help us to analyse not only the overall efficiency of the healthcare system but analyse the overall efficiency as the result of the efficiencies of individual interconnected areas (public and medical care area). By applying the DNDEA model, we can realise the analysis not only within one year, but we can find out if the measures and improvements taken in the healthcare sector have a positive impact on its efficiency in a later period (eight-year interval). Methods The analysis focuses on assessing the efficiency of the health systems of OECD countries over three periods: 2000, 2008, and 2016. Data for this study were derived from the existing OECD database, which provides aggregated data on OECD countries on a comparable basis. In this way, it was possible to compare different countries whose national health statistics may have their characteristics. The input-oriented Dynamic Network Data Envelopment Analysis model was used for data processing. The efficiency of OECD health systems has been analysed and evaluated comprehensively and also separately in two divisions: public health sub-division and medical care sub-division. The analysis combines the application of conventional and unconventional methods of measuring efficiency in the health sector. Results The results for the public health sub-division, medical care sub-division and overall health system for OECD countries under the assumption of constant returns to scale indicate that the average overall efficiency was 0.8801 in 2000, 0.8807 in 2008 and 0.8472 in 2016. The results of the input-oriented model with the assumption of constant returns to scale point to the overall average efficiency of health systems at the level of 0.8693 during the period. According to the Malmquist Index results, the OECD countries improved the efficiency over the years, with performance improvements of 19% in the public health division and 8% in the medical care division. Conclusions The results of the study are beneficial for health policymakers to assess and compare health systems in countries and to develop strategic national and regional health plans. Similarly, the result will support the development of international benchmarks in this area. The issue of health efficiency is an intriguing one that could be usefully explored in further research. A greater focus on combining non-parametric and parametric models could produce interesting findings for further research. The consistency in the publication and updating of the data on health statistics would help us establish a greater degree of accuracy.

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The Swedish national public health policy and its achievements after ten years

European Journal of Public Health ◽

10.1093/eurpub/ckz185.710 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 29 (Supplement_4) ◽

Author(s):

N Lindqvist

Keyword(s):

Public Health ◽

Health Policy ◽

Health Inequalities ◽

Public Health Policy ◽

Policy Framework ◽

Political Agenda ◽

Health Work ◽

Public Health Perspective ◽

National Public Health ◽

The Government

Abstract Public health issues and their equality aspects have been on the political agenda in Sweden since the early 1980s. Already in the 1990s, the Government presented the first public health policy bill. This highlighted the conditions for a sustainable development from a public health perspective. Increased equality was set to be the overriding objective in prioritizing public health work and that priority should be given to efforts that would improve the situation of the most disadvantaged. The foundation of today’s public health policy was laid in 2003 when the parliament decided on a new bill in which an overall goal for national public health policy was established: ‘Creating social conditions for good health on equal terms for the entire population’. The bill also established a cross-sectoral target structure for the overall public health work with eleven target areas. It also pointed out that public health policy is cross-sectoral and must be a part in all policy areas. In June 2008, the parliament adopted the bill A Renewed Public Health Policy. Changes made were (among other things) a rewording of the target areas, but many of the starting points were kept. The Swedish Commission for Equity in Health was set up in 2015 and given two main tasks, to produce a proposal that can help to reduce the health inequalities in society and to work for raised awareness of health inequalities in society and among stakeholders. The work of the commission was finished in 2017 and presents an analysis of how the public health policy works in practice, with regard to the intentions of policy framework. A number of problems or areas of development appear which the Commission considers need to be addressed. The presentation will first give a short overview of the Swedish public health policy from 2008 and will then present the commission’s conclusions and proposals for development areas.

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Vitamin A deficiency control measures: Importance of vitamin A supplementation as a public health policy in the Indian context

Journal of Public Health Policy ◽

10.1057/jphp.2013.28 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 34 (4) ◽

pp. 538-548

Author(s):

Nimmathota Arlappa

Keyword(s):

Public Health ◽

Health Policy ◽

Vitamin A ◽

Public Health Policy ◽

Vitamin A Deficiency ◽

Control Measures ◽

Vitamin A Supplementation ◽

Indian Context

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Public Health Policy of India and COVID-19: Diagnosis and Prognosis of the Combating Response

Sustainability ◽

10.3390/su13063415 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 13 (6) ◽

pp. 3415

Author(s):

Priya Gauttam ◽

Nitesh Patel ◽

Bawa Singh ◽

Jaspal Kaur ◽

Vijay Kumar Chattu ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Public Health ◽

Health Policy ◽

Healthcare System ◽

Public Health Policy ◽

Public Healthcare ◽

Extensive Literature ◽

Future Health ◽

Healthcare Facilities ◽

The Public ◽

The Government

(1) Background: Society and public policy have been remained interwoven since the inception of the modern state. Public health policy has been one of the important elements of the public administration of the Government of India (GOI). In order to universalize healthcare facilities for all, the GOI has formulated and implemented the national health policy (NHP). The latest NHP (2017) has been focused on the “Health in All” approach. On the other hand, the ongoing pandemic COVID-19 had left critical impacts on India’s health, healthcare system, and human security. The paper’s main focus is to critically examine the existing healthcare facilities and the GOI’s response to combat the COVID-19 apropos the NHP 2017. The paper suggests policy options that can be adopted to prevent the further expansion of the pandemic and prepare the country for future health emergency-like situations. (2) Methods: Extensive literature search was done in various databases, such as Scopus, Web of Science, Medline/PubMed, and google scholar search engines to gather relevant information in the Indian context. (3) Results: Notwithstanding the several combatting steps on a war-footing level, COVID-19 has placed an extra burden over the already overstretched healthcare infrastructure. Consequently, infected cases and deaths have been growing exponentially, making India stand in second place among the top ten COVID-19-infected countries. (4) Conclusions: India needs to expand the public healthcare system and enhance the expenditure as per the set goals in NHP-17 and WHO standards. The private healthcare system has not been proved reliable during the emergency. Only the public health system is suitable for the country wherein the population’s substantial size is rural and poor.

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Between Rights and Rhetoric: Assessing the Government of Canada’s Public Health Policy on Opioid Injection Drug Use (2015-2019)

Études canadiennes / Canadian Studies ◽

10.4000/eccs.3965 ◽

2020 ◽

pp. 89-123

Author(s):

Janel Smith

Keyword(s):

Public Health ◽

Health Policy ◽

Drug Use ◽

Injection Drug Use ◽

Public Health Policy ◽

Injection Drug ◽

The Government

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Consumer motivation and willingness to pay for “safer” vegetables in Ghana

British Food Journal ◽

10.1108/bfj-10-2013-0296 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 117 (3) ◽

pp. 1043-1065 ◽

Cited By ~ 6

Author(s):

Iddrisu Yahaya ◽

Fred A. Yamoah ◽

Faizal Adams

Keyword(s):

Public Health ◽

Health Policy ◽

Willingness To Pay ◽

Public Health Policy ◽

Treatment Options ◽

Vegetable Production ◽

Content Type ◽

Consumer Motivation ◽

Pathogen Reduction ◽

The Impact

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to assess consumer motivation and willingness to pay (WTP) for “safer” vegetables from the use of non-treatment options of wastewater use in urban/peri-urban vegetable production. Design/methodology/approach – As a theoretical basis, consumer theory of maximizing utility being an indicator of individual preference was examined through choice experiment (CE) method to measure the WTP for value of safety within the context of health reduced risk (pathogen reduction) of illness. WTP was tested empirically using survey data from 650 households in the two largest cities in Ghana (Accra and Kumasi) that are characterized by a number of well-established vegetable producers who use wastewater in their production and a large urban and peri-urban vegetable consumer market. Findings – Experience of vegetable borne diseases drives the need for safer vegetables and income and gender are key demographic factors influencing WTP. It was further found that consumers are willing to pay an average amount of GH¢ 4.7 ($2.40) per month for a technology change that would result in the production of “safer” vegetables. Research limitations/implications – Understanding WTP offers insight into consumer concerns, behaviour and their readiness to pay for safer vegetable options. However, a further consideration of the impact of the combinations of the various non-treatment options on pathogen reduction and the assessment of the financial viability of each option will collectively ensure an efficient and cost-effective implementation of the technologies. Practical implications – WTP insight gained has implications for vegetable production, marketing and public health policy. The understanding from the findings forms a solid basis to canvass for certification system for urban/peri urban vegetables. The information provided also helps to formulate effective public education on the safety of vegetables. Originality/value – Measuring WTP for safer vegetables by Ghanaian urban/peri-urban consumers is novel. The CE approach is robust and the findings can inform vegetable production and marketing decisions as well as public health policy formulation.

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Public health policy and medical unionism in the context of collapse of Brazilian democracy

European Journal of Public Health ◽

10.1093/eurpub/ckaa166.1243 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 30 (Supplement_5) ◽

Author(s):

E Guimarães-Teixeira ◽

P Delgado ◽

M H Machado ◽

A Camargo

Keyword(s):

Public Health ◽

Health Policy ◽

Trade Union ◽

Trade Unions ◽

Public Health Policy ◽

Legal Framework ◽

Political Life ◽

Unified Health System ◽

Health Studies ◽

The Government

Abstract Issue This is a report about an editorial initiative to contribute to the debate on the crisis of trade unionism and public health in Brazil. Description of the Problem The Rio de Janeiro Doctors Union (SinMed-RJ), the first trade union of liberal professionals in Brazil, began its activities in 1927 and has completed nine decades. It kept present in the political life, in the process of drafting labor laws, subjected to the brutal intervention of security agencies during the military dictatorship, and in the street struggle for democratizing access to health in the 1980s. It is yet part of the history of the struggles for the re-democratization of the country and the construction of a universal public health policy. Together with The Brazilian Center for Health Studies (Cebes) it fights for the construction and consolidation of the Unified Health System (SUS) and the achievements of the 1988 Citizen Constitution, actions that had a major impact on the trade union and on public health. Results In 2017, the government that emerged from the 2016 judicial-parliamentary coup, made changes to labor legislation, destroying the legal framework for the defense of work and discontinuing the financial of trade unions. In 2019, we were witnessing the struggle of combative and socially based unions for the survival of their entities. The SinMed-RJ promoted debates on the role of the media in deconstructing democracy and the precariousness of medical work, while actively supporting the struggle of doctors in defense of their rights. Lessons Cebes and SinMed-RJ met against the privatization health, an important agenda of debate and action. From 2019, there had been a growing increase in measures to deconstruct public policies and labor protection, breaking the social legitimacy of state institutions, retracting the democratic space, deepening inequality and unemployment. This agenda is urgent to be widely debated for the whole society of a country in crisis. Key messages The major impact of this work was to include the public health challenges of Brazil in the agenda of the trade union, and to fight to rescue the democracy in Brazil. The major impact was to work with other institution on health studies and publish a special number of a free publication in honor of nine decades of the first union of liberal professional in Brazil.

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