A eficiência técnica nos investimentos no setor de saúde: um estudo na região metropolitana do Vale do Paraíba e litoral norte de São Paulo

This study aims to investigate the technical efficiency of the allocation of public resources in health services, taking as reference the Metropolitan Region of Vale do Paraiba and the North Coast of Sao Paulo. To assess the technical efficiency of the health sector, variables that represent the allocated resources (inputs) and the services offered to society (outputs) were selected. The measurement of efficiency was performed through the Data Envelopment Analysis, using the classic model of variable returns with product orientation. The efficiency frontier obtained does not seek to provide a rigid standard of efficiency for health, but a way of verifying how much the region could produce if the current investment is maintained. The results showed that 50% of the municipalities analyzed showed relative technical efficiency of 100% and the average index reached in the region was 87.7%. The research also showed that for a city in the sample to reach the frontier of technical efficiency, it does not necessarily need to make greater investments.