Applications of a health planning model in Morocco

It is argued in this paper that public health planning should be guided by the principle of output maximization. The objective of the health sector should be specified, and measurable forms of output should be derived from these statements of purpose. Knowledge of the contributions which given combinations of inputs make toward output thus defined allow, in principle, calculation of the particular deployment of the avilable inputs which will maximize output. There is a discussion of the objectives or forms of output in a public health system, both humanitarian and economic. A verbal model of such a system for an underdeveloped country is constructed which identifies the relationships which must be known if spending decisions are to suceed in maximizing output. An attempt is then made, in the context of the Moroccan public health system, to show that the model is not merely a theoretical exercise, but is potentially useful as a planning instrument. The respective contributions of general hospitals and of mass vaccination programs toward the objective of reducing mortality are estimated. On the whole, the preventive activities (the mass vaccinations) are found to be a much a cheaper way of saving lives than are the curative activities (the general hospitals).