Public Health Expenditure and Health Outcomes in Kenya
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Date
2014-03-07
Authors
Kyalo, Kevin Munywoki
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Abstract
Government health spending remains a critical element of the social and economic
development of any country. Internationally health outcomes have received a great
attention; Millennium Development Goals has 3 of its 8 goals related to health
issues, the Abuja Declaration in 200 I committed countries to increase health
budget allocation to 15 percent of total government budget for provision of health
services and improving health outcomes. Kenya total public health expenditure as a
percentage of Gross Domestic Product has increased from 1.2 percent in 1980/81 to
about 2.0 percent in 2010111 with health indicators in the same period not
following the same trend. The objective of this study was to determine the
relationship of public health expenditure and health outcomes in Kenya. The study
was based on Grossman (1972) theoretical model that applies a vector of inputs in
production of health status. Longitudinal research design was adopted and Ordinary
Least Squares multiple regression technique applied using data for over the period
of 1980-20 II. The research finding revealed that public health expenditure has a
negative and signi ficant relationship with both Under-Five Mortality Rate and
Infant Mortality Rate. Life Expectancy at Birth was found to have a positive
relationship with public health expenditure. However primary gross enrolment
ratio, child immunization for measles and the ratio of doctors to the population
were found to improve health outcomes more than public health expenditure. The
study recommends that based on the findings specific health programmes targeting
specific health outcomes and infrastructure development should be encouraged for
better health outcomes to be realized,
Description
Department of Economic Theory, 2013