Abstract

Introduction: The purpose of development plans is expansion of public welfare and justice among urban and rural areas. These plans are good indicators for assessing the performance of country's macro plans. The aim of this study was to assess the relative efficiency of rural health macro management during the third and the early years of fourth development plan.

Materials and Methods: This study has been done with descriptive research method and during third plan and the early years of forth plan, between 2000 and 2007. The statistics were derived from official documents and in this regard, three inputs and five outputs indicators, data envelopment analysis mathematical model and DEA master1 software have been used.

Findings: During the third and fourth development plan and based on eight indicators, Tehran and Mazandaran provinces are at the top, in terms of efficiency. Totally, the difference between the lowest and highest efficiency in provinces is declining and this is sign of good management in distribution of wealth among different provinces. The sensitivity analysis showed that "ratio of behvarz to 1000 people of rural population" between the input indicators and "percentage of rural households with drinking water network" between output indicators has a great potential among the provinces for more attention and more appropriate usage, due to their least sensitivity. Moreover, the most efficient and sensitive indicator among inputs is "average per capita number of health homes and rural health centers" and the most effective and sensitive index among output is "average cost of health care of rural households, financed by government and for free".