Evaluating the impact of physicians' provision on primary healthcare: Evidence from Brazil's More Doctors Program

Abstract

This study aims to evaluate the More Doctors Program (Programa Mais Médicos) in terms of the provision of physicians, presenting estimates of its impact on hospitalization for ambulatory care sensitive conditions. The differences-in-differences method was used with propensity score matching (double difference matching), using 3 specifications, a falsification test, and also a dynamic endogeneity test to confirm the robustness of the results. For the application of this methodology, a panel of municipal data was constructed covering several variables related to socioeconomic, demographic, and public health infrastructure characteristics in the cities for the period from 2010 to 2016. The results show a significant reduction in hospital admissions in treated municipalities with an increasing and perceptible effect in the second year of the program.

Addressing inequalities in medical workforce distribution: evidence from a quasi-experimental study in Brazil

“…However, they do not find evidence of gains in infant health, including birth weight, gestation and mortality. The closest study to ours is Fontes et al, 18 which estimated the impact of MDP on all types of hospitalisation for ambulatory care sensitive conditions (ACSH), and found a reduction in admissions.…”

Médicos pelo Brasil: caminho para a privatização da atenção primária à saúde no Sistema Único de Saúde?

“…The PMM was established rather recently, in late 2013, but several positive effects were identified, especially in physician supply, with a reduction in the shortage and in inequalities in physician distribution 15,16,17,18 , since 78% of these professionals were allocated to priority municipalities (counties) 19 , a reduction in hospital admissions for PHC-sensitive conditions 20 , and an increase in investments in construction and renovation to improve the infrastructure in the UBS 21 .…”

A crise financeira e a saúde: o caso do município do Rio de Janeiro, Brasil

“…The provision and settlement of doctors in socially deprived areas affect especially PHC, where only 23.5% of Brazilian doctors work 13 . In 2012, Rio de Janeiro started to invest heavily in the qualification and fixation of family doctors through the various family and community health residency programs.…”