In Ghana, district hospitals play a crucial role in providing essential healthcare services, particularly in underserved rural areas. However, their operational efficiency varies widely and is often influenced by systemic factors such as funding, infrastructure, and human resources. A fixed effects model was employed to analyse data from multiple years across several district hospitals. This statistical approach allows us to control for time-invariant characteristics that could confound direct comparisons between hospitals. Panel data estimation revealed significant variations in hospital efficiencies, with some districts showing substantial gains and others experiencing persistent inefficiencies. Notably, investment in human capital—specifically, the ratio of nurses to beds—had a positive impact on overall efficiency. The findings suggest that targeted interventions aimed at improving nurse-to-bed ratios could lead to substantial improvements in hospital performance, thereby enhancing patient care and resource utilization. Health authorities should prioritise investments in human resources, particularly nursing staff, as a key strategy for boosting district hospitals' efficiency. Additionally, regular monitoring and feedback mechanisms are recommended to ensure sustained improvement. Ghanaian healthcare systems, district hospital efficiency, panel data estimation, human resource management Treatment effect was estimated with logit (pᵢ) =₀+^ Xᵢ, and uncertainty reported using confidence-interval based inference.
Gbogboye Omotayo (Sun,) studied this question.