Technical Efficiency of Community Clinics in Kushtia, Bangladesh: A Nonparametric DEA Analysis

The healthcare industry is well aware of the issue of limited resources. By properly managing available resources, waste may be minimized. Bangladesh is a developing nation with limited resources, hence it is essential to estimate technical efficiency in this circumstance. Health care efficiency in the developed world has long been examined using Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA). However, few studies have used DEA to evaluate the effectiveness of healthcare delivery in emerging economies, especially in Bangladesh. A total of 24 community clinics in Kushtia were chosen at random for this study, and their technical efficiency was determined using the DEA method. The goal was to assess health centers’ levels of efficiency and provide recommendations for improving less effective centers’ performance. Input-based Data Envelopment Analysis was utilized to evaluate technical efficiency. The first category comprised of twelve prominent public hospitals. In this study, the number of outpatient visits was both an input and an outcome variable, whereas physicians, nurses, drugs, and other medical supplies were input variables. The Malmquist index was also utilized to assess efficiency gains and losses over time in community clinics. The eleven surviving community health clinics ended just inside the border. Based on their average efficiency rating, the facilities could accomplish the same goals while consuming 42% less inputs. On average, each CC created garbage worth TK. 0.14 crore. Across the board, production grew during the study periods. Overall, the findings suggest that public health centres are extremely inefficient in their delivery of health care and that substantial savings may be achieved by implementing steps to reduce waste.