Health Outcomes_Aderonke

Abstract

This paper evaluates the impact of health expenditure on health outcomes - Neo-natal Mortality, and Infant Mortality in selected Sub-Saharan African Countries after the Ebola endemic in 2014. Using 7 years of pre - and post-shock data between 2014 and 2021 and a difference-in-differences identification strategy, this paper finds negative effect of health expenditure in on infant mortality rates which is an improvement that is expected, however; health expenditure is associated with increase in neonatal mortality rates and little evidence for stillbirths, showing no improvement in these areas.

The period of study was chosen to give sufficient time for improvement after the shock considering the existence of bureaucratic bottlenecks in execution of projects in most of the selected countries. Each country’s government should not only consistently increase expenditure in the health sector but also increase supervision, checks and balances on all stakeholders involved in overall health budget implementation. This will improve primary health care access, especially to middle and low-income earners.