Beata Gavurova,

Technical University of Košice,

Košice, Slovak Republic

beata.gavurova@tuke.sk

The impact of healthcare availability on the amenable mortality: Country study

Peter Toth,

Technical University of Košice,

Košice, Slovak Republic

peter.toth@tuke.sk

Ruta Ciutienė,

Kaunas University of Technology,

Kaunas, Lithuania

ruta.ciutiene@ktu.lt

Miriama Tarhanicova,

Technical University of Košice,

Košice, Slovak Republic

miriama.tarhanicova@tuke.sk

Abstract. This study aims to provide information on the relationship between the accessibility of healthcare and avoidable mortality. Many of the general indicators such as health care expenditures, mortality, life expectancy are insufficient in comparing the national healthcare systems, because they explain only a small amount of diversity caused by socio-economic factors. The study is based on the panel data analysis for the period from 1998 to 2015 in Slovak republic. As the indicator that takes into account socio-economic factors and represents the level of provided healthcare, the depended variable is avoidable mortality. Independent variables represent the availability of healthcare in regions. Models were estimated separately for women and men. The results demonstrate differences between sexes, lower amenable mortality in case of women, correlated to availability of practitioners, dentists, specialists, pharmacies and gynecologists. For men, there is evidence of a relation between amenable mortality and the accessibility of specialists, pediatricians, practitioners and pharmacies.

Received: March, 2019

1st Revision: May, 2019

Accepted: August, 2019

DOI: 10.14254/2071-789X.2019/12-3/16

JEL Classification: I10, I14, I15

Keywords: healthcare access, amenable mortality, panel data, health production function