Stigma of COVID- 19: The basic challenge in health economics

Health economics is a branch of economics science and has a great share in the economic situation of countries Hospitals, as the largest, main and most important center for providing health care, occupy a large part of the resources Therefore, the information related to costs in hospitals is one of the most important inputs in the decision making process Today, costs are rising, so if hospitals do not work to increase their own revenue and reduce running costs, they will certainly face a serious challenge Currently in Iran, while the economic situation of the society does not seem to be very favorable due to the oppressive sanctions, the outbreak of Covid-19 disease has also had a negative impact on this trend and has provided hospitals with their costs have run into problems Factors such as allocating some hospitals as a reception center for Covid-19 patients, free treatment for hospitalized patients, duration of treatment, the need for follow-up after discharge of patients and the construction of convalescents increased the costs of medical centers On the other hand, cancel of elective surgeries, the provision of personal protective equipment, facilities and welfare for medical staff and pay attention to various aspects of public health and public education decreased their income This disruption in the process of production and consumption of financial resources in medical centers can cause problems for the health system The effects of this epidemic phenomena are not limited to the prevalence period and is one of the issues that can affect on the health economy for a long time and have adverse effects Negative attitude of the community towards Covid-19 reference hospitals, which causes hospitals to have low incomes long after the epidemic, is of the adverse effects As patients' preference is quality and safety of care services, selection of a hospital for hospitalization and treatment, the contagious and dangerous label of this disease can damage the safe image of the reference hospitals In addition to patients, medical staff must care in a completely safe environment and have the necessary and sufficient focus on treating patients One of the most critical factors that can play an important and active role in increasing safety is the availability of facilities and resources needed for care Financials can negatively affect the performance of care team staff Due to the limited financial resources of the references hospitals, this lack of financial resources can have a great impact on staff payments and cause their dissatisfaction High workload and financial pressures on personnel can cause mental along with physical fatigue and endanger their health, which can indirectly affect the quality of service provided Staff fatigue, especially in the long run as a result of these conditions can affect their concentration and ability to work and therefore will be affected the quality of care delivery Since staff satisfaction and quality of work is a multidimensional phenomenon that can be affected by various factors such as workplace stress and regular payments, so health organizations should consider these issues It seems necessary that the relevant officials in the Ministry of Health, by forming specialized working groups in the fields of psychology, sociology and health economics, act as soon as possible to control the stigma caused by the disease rather than harm and prevent deadly effects on the health of the country In this regard, educational interventions are suggested along with launching social campaigns to increase awareness and improve community attitudes and thus eliminate the stigma of Covid-19 © 2020 Iran University of Medical Sciences All rights reserved