This community innovation has been accepted at the 2025 DHIS2 Annual Conference
Effectiveness of Collaborative Loan-Grant Programs
Background: To achieve Sustainable Development Goal 3, the Vietnamese government implemented healthcare improvements supported by Republic of Korean ODA. This collaboration combined concessional loans for hospital construction with grant based education and training. DHIS2, an established health information platform in Vietnam, was customized to evaluate the technical efficiency of three provincial hospitals in Yen Bai, Lao Cai, and Danang. Methods: Using DHIS2, health administrative data were collected from the Ministry of Health and provincial hospitals. A Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) framework assessed technical efficiency with input variables (hospital beds, doctors, nurses) and output variables (outpatient visits, inpatient admissions). Environmental factors, including provincial population and average length of stay, were analyzed using Tobit regression. Data from 43 hospitals with at least 800 beds were compared pre and post assistance (2019 vs. 2023).
Results: After the first-stage DEA analysis, Tobit regression showed that only ALOS
significantly affected technical efficiency. In the second stage, ALOS was incorporated
as an input variable to control environmental effects. The results indicated that the
average efficiency score of the three ODA-supported hospitals increased from 0.6378
in 2019 to 0.8683 in 2023, while 40 non-ODA hospitals improved from 0.7706 to 0.8498
between 2021 and 2023. Yen Bai General Hospital advanced from 24th (0.7348) in
2021 to 1st (1.0000) in 2023, gaining 23 ranks. Da Nang Hospital rose from 25th
(0.7298) to 1st (1.0000), gaining 24 ranks. Lao Cai General Hospital improved from
0.4489 to 0.6051 but remained 41st. These efficiency gains highlight the success of
the collaborative loan-grant assistance in improving hospital efficiency and
sustainability.
Conclusion: This study demonstrates the critical role of DHIS2 in evaluating hospital
efficiency and sustainability in resource-limited settings. The collaborative loan-grant
assistance significantly improved hospital operations and technical efficiency. To
sustain these achievements, continued efforts in performance management, digital
transformation, and data-driven decision-making are essential.
Primary Author: Sangyune Kim
Keywords:
Collaborative Assistance, Loan-Grant Programs, Health systems efficiency, DHIS2