Uncovering The Link Among Institutional Qualities, Expenditure On Health And Mortalities In West Africa

Abstract

The study aims to analyse the effect of institutional quality and health expenditure on mortalities in West African countries. In addition, analysis was done using both public health expenditure and Out-of-Pocket (OOP) health expenditure. This study relies on demand for health theory that focuses on the role of health investments in improving health outcomes. Therefore, the study analysed the effect of government expenditures and out-of-pocket expenditures on mortality indicators such as infant, maternal, and crude death rates. The analysis was carried out using secondary data from the World Bank Indicators (WDI). Fixed-effects and random-effects panel regression models were used to carry out the analyses and Hausman test was performed to pick between the fixed-effects and random-effects models. The results shows that in West African countries, government expenditure reduced mortality rate with the moderation of institutional quality, while increased OOP health expenditure increased infant mortality, maternal mortality, and crude death rate. This revealed that due to financial constraints, high OOP cost reduces individuals’ access to quality care, highlighting the significance of reducing personal health burdens through public funding. Therefore, policies developed should be aimed at improving institutional quality as well as expanding public health funding are vital strategies towards reducing mortality rates and improving health equity across West African countries.