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Primary care physicians and infant mortality: Evidence from Brazil

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  • Letícia Xander Russo
  • Anthony Scott
  • Peter Sivey
  • Joilson Dias

Abstract

Primary health care has been recognized as a critical strategy for improving population health in developing countries. This paper investigates the effect of primary care physicians on the infant mortality rate in Brazil using a dynamic panel data approach. This method accounts for the endogeneity problem and the persistence of infant mortality over time. The empirical analysis uses an eight-year panel of municipalities between 2005 and 2012. The results indicate that primary care physician supply contributed to the decline of infant mortality in Brazil. An increase of one primary care physician per 10,000 population was associated with 7.08 fewer infant deaths per 10,000 live births. This suggests that, in addition to other determinants, primary care physicians can play an important role in accounting for the reduction of infant mortality rates.

Suggested Citation

  • Letícia Xander Russo & Anthony Scott & Peter Sivey & Joilson Dias, 2019. "Primary care physicians and infant mortality: Evidence from Brazil," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 14(5), pages 1-16, May.
    • Handle: RePEc:plo:pone00:0217614
    DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0217614
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    1. Shongkour Roy & Tanjina Khatun, 2022. "Effect of adolescent female fertility and healthcare spending on maternal and neonatal mortality in low resource setting of South Asia," Health Economics Review, Springer, vol. 12(1), pages 1-8, December.
    2. Godager , Geir & Scott, Anthony, 2023. "Physician Behavior and Health Outcomes," HERO Online Working Paper Series 2023:3, University of Oslo, Health Economics Research Programme.
    3. Joana Raquel Raposo Santos & Hellen Geremias Santos & Carlos Manuel Matias Dias & Alexandre Dias Porto Chiavegatto Filho, 2020. "Assessing the impact of a doctor in remote areas of Brazil," International Journal of Public Health, Springer;Swiss School of Public Health (SSPH+), vol. 65(3), pages 267-272, April.
    4. Alexandre Bugelli & Roxane Borgès Da Silva & Ladislau Dowbor & Claude Sicotte, 2021. "The Determinants of Infant Mortality in Brazil, 2010–2020: A Scoping Review," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(12), pages 1-28, June.
    5. Joana Raquel Raposo Santos & Hellen Geremias Santos & Carlos Manuel Matias Dias & Alexandre Dias Porto Chiavegatto Filho, 0. "Assessing the impact of a doctor in remote areas of Brazil," International Journal of Public Health, Springer;Swiss School of Public Health (SSPH+), vol. 0, pages 1-6.
    6. Jinlin Liu & Karen Eggleston, 2022. "The Association between Health Workforce and Health Outcomes: A Cross-Country Econometric Study," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 163(2), pages 609-632, September.

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