Abstract
The association between healthcare expenditures and outcomes, mainly mortality and life expectancy, is complex. The real explanation for this association is not clear, especially in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region. This study assesses the impact of health expenditures on improving healthcare systems and health status and finds a relationship between health expenditures and health outcomes across different region. Annual time series data on healthcare spending and outcomes from 1995 to 2015 were used for MENA region in comparison to developed and developing countries. Health expenditure was adjusted by the consumer price index equation to the 2015 US dollar eliminate the impact of inflation on our results. For many countries, spending on healthcare continues to rise, Among MENA countries, we found that the United Arab Emirates and Kuwait spent more per capita on health, $1,711 and $1,420, respectively, than any other countries in the region. Although this study demonstrated a relationship between total healthcare expenditure and outcomes, some countries spend more on healthcare but have shorter life expectancy. In most countries, efficient and effective utilization of healthcare resources is the key strategy for improving health outcomes in any country. The lack of a positive correlation between healthcare spending and life expectancy may indicate that health resources are not allocated effectively. In those cases, increasing health spending does not guarantee that there is any kind of improvement in healthcare.
Highlights
Over the last decades, healthcare expenditure has been increasing in many countries, and Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region follow the same pattern mainly because of the high price of health technology, increased awareness about health, and lifestyle changes
The health expenditure and life expectancy has been improved in the MENA region since 1995
We examine the health expenditures of MENA countries and focusing on investigate the relationship between healthcare expenditures and health outcomes, which are measured as life expectancy here
Summary
Healthcare expenditure has been increasing in many countries, and Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region follow the same pattern mainly because of the high price of health technology, increased awareness about health, and lifestyle changes. Healthcare spending as a factor that may have an impact on individual health is essential for effective policy making at the national and regional levels and for the sustainability of health services [2, 3]. The increase in human capital stock investment is considered a vital factor for attaining the anticipated economic development in all countries [3, 4]. As a result of the increasing life expectancy of the population, other health indicators such as infant and adult mortality rate will be improved
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