Cross-Efficiency Assessment of Primary Health Care in Benue State, Nigeria, using Data Envelopment Analysis

Abstract

Health is the most important component of life. The entire globe strives for health outcomes that are effective, efficient, high-quality, and equitable, to enhance economic growth. The goal of this paper is to assess the performance of the primary healthcare (PHC) centres in order to effectively distinguish good performers in Benue State, Nigeria. Data collection was from 15 primary healthcare centres (PHCs) through the primary and secondary methods. Two input variables (number of beds and medical and non-medical staff) and 3 output variables (outpatients, inpatients, antenatal, deliveries, and quality of care) data obtained from the Benue State Primary Healthcare Board and the various PHCs form the variables and the sources of our data. The pair evaluation model and the Maverick index models were adopted. To evaluate the Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) linear programming formulation, an R program was coded. The result of the aggressive and benevolent pair evaluation ranges between 0.2522 to 0.9335, and 0.2944 to 1.0000, respectively. Okpaflo and Ojapo PHCs are fully efficient and are the top performers in the aggressive and benevolent models, respectively.  The Maverick index aided in detecting false efficiency. It is recommended that Policymakers, the Primary Healthcare Board, must accord a high level of importance to a rigorous form of PHC system performance evaluation. There is a clear need to build monitoring of efficiency into the information systems of each state's PHCs. Future research will be required in the private and mission hospitals that are nonhomogeneous.