THE IMPACT OF HEALTH WORKERS ON HEALTH OUTCOMES DURING THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC IN G20 COUNTRIES

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the critical importance of healthcare systems and workforce efficiency on global health outcomes. This study investigates the impact of the number of physicians and nurses and midwives on health outcomes in G20 countries during the pandemic, utilizing Stochastic Frontier Analysis (SFA) in combination with Least Squares (LS) and Maximum Likelihood estimation (ML) methods. The study aims to evaluate the impact of variations in health human resources among G20 countries in 2020 on key health indicators such as life expectancy at birth, the share of health expenditures in GDP, and COVID 19–related mortality rates. By applying Stochastic Frontier Analysis (SFA), the study identifies whether inefficiencies in healthcare systems stem from technical factors or random errors. A limitation of the study is the difficulty in obtaining data for some countries for the analysis year 2020, which necessitated the use of data from the closest available years. Furthermore, restricting the sample to G20 countries may partially limit the generalizability of the findings on a global scale. Empirical analysis reveals that an increase in the number of physicians and nurses and midwives is positively associated with improvements in life expectancy and reductions in mortality rates. Specifically, the study finds that while technical inefficiencies significantly affect health outcomes in some models, random errors predominantly influence others. The results indicate that a higher healthcare workforce density correlates with better health outcomes, underscoring the essential role of healthcare human resources in managing and mitigating the impacts of a global health crisis. The findings provide valuable insights for policymakers and healthcare administrators, suggesting that enhancing the number of healthcare professionals could be a critical factor in improving health outcomes and preparing for future public health emergencies. This study contributes to the broader discourse on health policy and offers recommendations for strengthening healthcare systems in the face of global challenges.