Assessment of Technical Efficiency in the Moroccan Public Hospital Network: Using the DEA Method

Abstract Background The public hospital network in Morocco plays a crucial role in providing healthcare services. However, this network faces challenges in terms of technical efficiency in healthcare management. Objectives This study aimed to assess the technical efficiency of the public hospital network in Morocco. Methods This article compares the efficiency of 77 public hospital networks from 2017 to 2020. Data were collected from the Directorate of Planning and Financial Resources (DPFR) of the Health Ministry Marocco. The Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) method was employed, using three inputs (Hospital, Physician and Paramedical) and four outputs (Functional capacity, Hospitalization days and Admission). Additionally, the Malmquist index (MI) is utilized to analyse the factors of production, and peer modelling is incorporated to address hospital inefficiency. Results The average technical efficiency of public hospital networks under the CRS hypothesis from 2017 to 2020 is 0.697 (71% of DMUs have a score lower than 1), indicating that these networks need to minimize their inputs by approximately 30.3%. The Malmquist index reveals a decline in productivity gain from 2017/2018 (score of 0.980) followed by improvement in 2018/2019 (score of 1.163). In terms of peer modelling, 72.7% of the DMUs should emulate the most effective DMUs beginning in 2020, whereas the lowest score was observed in 2019. Conclusion These findings highlight the need for the public hospital network in Morocco to enhance the effective and efficient utilization of inputs, such as the number of hospitals and medical and paramedical staff, to produce the same outputs, including the number of surgical procedures, hospitalization days, admissions, and functional capacity.