Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: https://hdl.handle.net/10419/279048 
Year of Publication: 
2023
Series/Report no.: 
IZA Discussion Papers No. 16350
Publisher: 
Institute of Labor Economics (IZA), Bonn
Abstract: 
We study the efficiency in health systems generated by community health teams, a common strategy in low- and middle-income countries for primary healthcare delivery. We exploit the rollout of a nation-wide expansion of coverage to this model in El Salvador. Using a panel dataset of municipalities spanning 2009-2018 from consultation and hospital records of almost 4 million episodes, we show that investing in community-based healthcare, which relied on less-specialized health workers, led to a more efficient allocation of care. Preventive care increased and curative care and hospitalizations from preventable conditions decreased, while coverage in curative care for previously unattended chronic diseases increased.
Subjects: 
community-based healthcare
efficiency
access
JEL: 
I15
I18
H21
H51
Document Type: 
Working Paper

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