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When a Doctor Falls from the Sky: The Impact of Easing Doctor Supply Constraints on Mortality

Year: 2023

Type: article

Abstract: This paper describes the results of a policy experiment conducted in coordination with the Nigerian government. In this experiment, some communities were randomly selected to receive a new doctor. These doctors were posted to the public health center serving the community to work for a year. Prior to their arrival, health care was provided by mid-level health care providers (MLP). To separate the effect of (ostensibly higher) quality from that of quantity, another group of communities was provided with an additional mid-level health care worker. A third group of communities received no additional workers. No other inputs were provided. I find a measurable decrease in mortality in communities assigned a doctor but not in communities assigned an additional MLP, suggesting that quality in the health care sector is a significant constraint.

Source: American Economic Review

DOI: 10.1257/aer.20210701

Author: Edward N. Okeke

Institution: RAND Corporation

Language: English

Topic: Global Health Workforce Issues

Subfield: Emergency Medical Services

Field: Health Professions

Domain: Health Sciences

SDGs: Good health and well-being, Decent work and economic growth

Open Access status: green

Funder: Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development