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Global Health Econ Sustain                                Prolonged impact of health-care expenditure on poverty



            150 million by 2021 (World Bank, 2020). In addition, the   countries were utilized. The poverty ratio of USD $1.90
            WHO 2003 encourages spending on healthcare and sets   a day (2011 purchasing power parity [PPP]) (% of the
            goals to guarantee that. Increasing financial resources   population) is the standard for poverty measurement set by
            for health should be a priority, and without spending on   the World Bank, varying according to the country’s income
            health, low-income countries will not be able to achieve the   level (lower or middle income). Simultaneously, health
            health-related Millennium Development Goals. A  study   expenditure as a percentage of GDP was employed based on
            by Murthy and Okunade (2009) states that spending on   World Bank standards. The data utilized in this study were
            health in the African countries under consideration is   annual data from 2000 to 2018, totaling 380 observations,
            considered essential, and spending on health from foreign   retrieved from the World Bank’s official website. This
            loans has worked to revive the economy. Meanwhile, Amiri   dataset was analyzed to examine the short- and long-run
            & Ventelou (2012) conclude in their paper that there is a   causal relationship between poverty rate and healthcare
            bidirectional relationship between health-care expenditure   expenditure in low- and middle-income countries.
            and gross domestic product (GDP) in the Organization for   The poverty rate is measured by the World Bank Group’s
            Economic Cooperation and Development countries. The   international poverty line of $1.90/day in 2011 PPP, which
            following studies show that poor countries spend more out-  is based on a set of national poverty lines. This international
            of-pocket (OOP) on health than developed countries and   poverty line was originally set at $1.25/day in 2005 PPP.
            that this has catastrophic effects on poor people. Kronenberg   Extreme poverty is defined as the number of people living
            and Barros (2014) revealed that disasters caused by OOP   on <$1.90/day. The last official estimate of global poverty
            healthcare payments are a major problem in Portugal.   was in 2017. The health expenditure indicator, determined
            To prevent vulnerable groups from facing catastrophic   by the World Bank, estimates current health expenditures,
            spending on healthcare, exemptions from OOP expenses   including health-care goods and services consumed annually.
            on medical care should be implemented. Amiri & Ventelou   This indicator does not include capital health expenditures.
            (2012) state that personal expenditures are prevalent in the
            least developed countries; the poorer the country, the higher   2.1. ARDL bounds test
            the amount that must be paid OOP (93% in low-income   In this analysis, we utilized the ARDL bounds test approach
            countries; about 85% in middle-income countries; 56% in   proposed by Pesaran et al. (2001). The ARDL bounds test
            high-income countries). Moreover, a study by Hallegatte   approach is an expansion of ARDL, as shown by Pesaran
            et al. (2020) concludes that there is a bilateral relationship   et al. (1997;1999). The ARDL bounds test demonstrates
            between disaster risk management and poverty. Therefore,   permits for level relationships to be inspected, whether the
            this paper discusses the effects of diseases as disaster factors   factors are I(0), I(1), or not commonly cointegrated, despite
            leading to poverty. Another study by Patel  et al. (2020)   the fact that carrying out any pre-testing is unconditioned
            explains the socioeconomic variables and their interaction   (Pesaran  et al., 2001; De Boef & Keele, 2008). In this
            with health situations. It found that several factors are   regard, the augmented Dickey-Fuller (ADF) test proposed
            associated with poverty and low access to healthcare, such   by Dickey and Fuller (1979), is a statistical significance
            as increased exposure to the virus, tension, and age, which   test that yields findings for hypothesis testing including
            make COVID-19 particularly challenging as potential   null and alternative hypotheses (Salim  & Rafiq, 2012).
            causal mechanisms.
                                                               The ARDL bounds test strategy determines if any level
              In conclusion, the multifaceted nature of the relationship   of relationship exists. If the F-statistic and t-statistics are
            between poverty and health-care expenditure, pandemics,   more significant than the lower and upper bounds of 1%,
            disasters, and socioeconomic variables necessitates a   5%, and 10%, then both an error correction model (ECM)
            comprehensive  approach.  Addressing  poverty  requires  not   and a short-run ARDL can be indicated (Pesaran  et  al.,
            only increased healthcare funding but also measures to mitigate   2001). However, if the F- and t-statistics of the bounds test
            OOP expenses, improve disaster risk management, and tackle   demonstrate that they are lower than the lower and upper
            socioeconomic disparities. Policymakers must adopt holistic   bounds, a short-run ARDL can be indicated.
            strategies to break the cycle of poverty by integrating health   n     n
            policies, disaster resilience, and targeted socioeconomic   ∆  + ∑ β  ∆P = β  P t i − ∑ δ  ∆HE  +ϕ  P  (I)
                                                                                 +
            interventions that uplift vulnerable populations and promote   t  0  i    i   t i−  1  t−1
                                                                        τ
            equitable access to health-care services.               +ϕ 2 HE i − t−1  + µ t  ti −
            2. Methods                                                   n         n
                                                                                 +
            For the purpose of this study, data on the poverty rate   ∆  t  0  + ∑ β i ∆P = β  P t i − ∑ δ i ∆HE t i −  +ϕ Z t−1  + µ t  (II)
            and health-care expenditures of low- and middle-income      τ  i −    ti−


            Volume 2 Issue 1 (2024)                         3                        https://doi.org/10.36922/ghes.2383
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