A Study on the analysis of the effects of government health expenditure on maternal mortality in 25 Sub-Saharan Africa countries

Abstract

The study conducted examines the effect of government health expenditure on maternal mortality on health care and maternal mortality in 25 Sub-Saharan Africa Countries over the period of 1997 to 2015 and the empirical approach uses longitudinal data. To diminish the possible confounding influence of public health expenditures in the maternal mortality regressions, the study uses panel data run using STATA econometric software. The study finds that in Sub Saharan Africa, public health expenditure has a strong impact on reducing maternal mortality rates. Moreover, the study finds that improvements in access to improved sanitation facilities and external resources all work together to reduce the plausibility of maternal deaths. These findings support previous related empirical evidence for developing countries. Overall, from a policy standpoint, the empirical estimates call for public health policy makers in less-industrialized regions to pay close attention to three very basic measures. These include: improved access to sanitation facilities, efforts to combat HIV and AIDS along with increased public spending on health as these are all important factors that can help to decrease maternal fatalities in Sub Saharan Africa Countries.