Relative deficit of health services in Brazilian states and regions

The paper analyzes the allocation of health services to Brazilian states and regions. A relative service deficit indicator is constructed to achieve that goal, using equity-based criteria, which means equality of access for equal need. The Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) is used to estimate the best service availability frontier for equal need. The results show great differences in the availability of health services among Brazilian states and regions. In regional terms, the situation of the South is the best one, whereas the North experiences the worst deficit of health services. These disparities highlight the importance of deficit assessment as an instrument to guide public action, especially in the Brazilian context, where the coverage and availability of health services is a constitutional rule.

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