Yujie Peng, Haidong Yu

Haidong Yu

August 31, 2025

Chengdu-Chongqing Economic Circle, Government health expenditure efficiency, DEA-Malmquist Index Model, Regional collaborative governance.

Objective: By evaluating the efficiency level of government health expenditure within the Chengdu-Chongqing Economic Circle, this study aims to analyze the spatial heterogeneity of health expenditure efficiency and its driving factors, providing a basis for improving the efficiency of health resource allocation and policy optimization within the region. Methods: Based on the panel data of 44 districts and counties in Sichuan Province and Chongqing Municipality from 2015 to 2020, the DEA-Malmquist index model was used to calculate the changes in total factor productivity (TFP) of regional government health expenditure, revealing the characteristics of regional differences and annual fluctuations. Results: The overall efficiency of government health expenditure within the Chengdu-Chongqing Economic Circle is relatively low and shows significant fluctuations. The efficiency reached its peak in 2018 and then dropped sharply in 2020. The overall fluctuations in the Chongqing Metropolitan Area were greater than those in the Chengdu Metropolitan Area, and the internal regional differences were also significant. Conclusion: The efficiency level of government health expenditure is mainly affected by policy shocks and public health emergencies. At the same time, insufficient regional coordination and an incomplete information sharing mechanism have also become essential reasons restricting the improvement of efficiency. Therefore, the government can optimize the allocation of health resources, enhance the capacity of primary medical care, and promote regional coordination and information sharing to improve the efficiency of regional health expenditure and promote the sustainable development of the regional public health system.

© 2025, the Authors. Published by ISCCAC

This is an open access article distributed under the CC BY-NC license