Stigma of Covid - 19: The Basic Challenge in Health Economics

Health economics is a branch of economics science and has a great share in the economic situation of countries. Hospitals, as the largest, main and most important center for providing health care, occupy a large part of the resources, so the information related to costs in hospitals is one of the most important inputs in the decision making process. Today, costs are rising, so if hospitals do not work to increase their own revenue and reduce running costs, they will certainly face a serious challenge. Currently in Iran, while the economic situation of the society does not seem to be very favorable due to the oppressive sanctions, the outbreak of Covid-19 disease has also had a negative impact on this trend and has provided hospitals with their costs have run into problems. Factors such as allocating some hospitals as a reception center for Covid-19 patients, non-receipt of money from hospitalized patients, duration of treatment, the need for follow-up after discharge of patients and the construction of convalescents has been increase the costs of medical centers. On the other hand, the cancellation of elective surgeries, the provision of personal protective equipment, ‌ providing facilities and welfare facilities for medical staff and the need to pay attention to various aspects of public health and public education, ‌ has reduced their income. This disruption in the process of production and consumption of financial resources in medical centers can cause problems for the health system. The effects of this epidemic are not limited to the period of its outbreak and is one of the issues that can remain on the health economy for a long time and have adverse effects. One of these is the negative attitude of the community towards Covid-19 reference hospitals, which causes hospitals to have low incomes long after the epidemic. Considering that patientschr(chr('39')39chr('39')) preference is quality and safety of care services and consequently in choosing a hospital for hospitalization and treatment, the contagious and dangerous label of this disease can damage the safe image of the reference hospitals. In addition to patients, medical staff must care in a completely safe environment and have the necessary and sufficient focus on treating patients. One of the most critical factors that can play an important and active role in increasing safety is the availability of facilities and resources needed for care. Financials can negatively affect the performance of care team staff. Due to the limited financial resources of the hospitals that are selected as the center of Covid-19, this lack of financial resources can have a great impact on staff payments and cause their dissatisfaction. High workload during this period and financial pressures on personnel can cause burnout and mental fatigue along with their physical fatigue and endanger their health. This in itself can indirectly affect the quality of service they provide. Staff fatigue, especially in the long run as a result of these conditions can affect their concentration and ability to work and therefore will be affected the quality of care delivery. Since staff satisfaction and quality of work is a multidimensional phenomenon that can be affected by various factors such as workplace stress and regular payments, so health organizations should consider these issues. It seems necessary that the relevant officials in the Ministry of Health, by forming specialized working groups in the fields of psychology, sociology and health economics, act as soon as possible to control the stigma caused by the disease rather than harm. Prevent deadly effects on the health of the country. In this regard, educational interventions are suggested along with launching social campaigns to increase awareness and improve community attitudes and thus eliminate the stigma of Covid-19.