[Mortality by COVID-19 in Spain. Approximation through public health expenditure by autonomous communities]

Abstract

Objective: The irruption of SARS-CoV-2 and its different incidence on the regional mortality rate could be revealing the effects of the change in the paradigm of health justice, initiated in Spain in 2010 and applied, more or less enthusiastically, by the different autonomous communities. The objective of this work was to look for if the socio-economic conditions and the policy of budgetary expenditure followed by the different Spanish autonomous communities have incidence, by themselves, on the mortality rate caused by the SARS-CoV-2.

Methods: Econometric research based on Multiple Linear Regression to determine the direct cause-effect relationship between the dependent variable, mortality associated with COVID-19, with explanatory variables of the health budget and socio-economic type.

Results: The number of deaths caused by COVID-19 has a positive relationship with the rate of GDP per capita and inversely with expenditure on hospital and specialized services, teaching and IRMs and with the resources allocated to health over the last nine years. A reduction in any of these health budget variables leads to an increase in mortality caused by COVID-19.

Conclusions: The COVID-19 mortality rate has hit the wealthiest autonomous communities hardest but, above all, has hit those that, although richer, applied more restrictive budgetary measures in the period 2010-2018.

Keywords: Autonomous communities; COVID-19; GDP per capita; Hospital services; Mortality rate; Multiple linear regression; Public health expenditure; Spain.