Efficiency Evaluation of the Healthcare System in Albania

Abstract

The effectiveness of a country’s healthcare system serves as a key metric to assess its economic development, as it directly influences the well-being and life expectancy of its population. The healthcare system is an important sector of great public interest, and as such it is expected to operate efficiently, addressing well and in time people’s needs. The paper reveals the findings from the efficiency analysis of the healthcare system in Albania, in terms of public expenditure in healthcare, from 2007 to 2021. Its purpose is to provide a comprehensive view of the system’s advancement during this timeframe, identifying the years with efficiency and inefficiency. Additionally, the paper suggests potential applications of the model results, to enhance efficiency in future healthcare management. The assessment of healthcare system efficiency in Albania, is based on the analysis of secondary data, using the nonparametric approach, Data Envelopment Analysis. The results of the analysis indicate fluctuating efficiency levels of the healthcare system over the course of those fifteen years. In terms of public spending, the healthcare system in Albania proved to be efficient during the years 2008, 2013, and 2015, while it showed levels of inefficiency during the other years including the Covid-19 pandemic.