Ethnic Disparities in Obstetric Care and Outcomes

Coauthors: Andreea Mitrut, Randi Hjalmarsson, and Mikael Lindahl

Abstract

How does patient ethnicity shape the allocation of medical care, particularly when healthcare resources are constrained? Using administrative hospital records from Romania, we examine differences in maternity care between Roma and non-Roma mothers. We find that Roma mothers are less likely to receive C-sections, have shorter postpartum stays, are more likely to be discharged before recommended clinical benchmarks, and are less likely to be classified as healthy at discharge. These gaps persist after accounting for patient characteristics and comparing mothers treated within the same hospitals and by the same physicians. Roma newborns are also substantially more likely to be rehospitalized. Exploiting short-run variation in hospital crowding, we find that unusually high demand narrows the ethnic gap in C-section use, particularly in larger hospitals. Our findings highlight the role of resource constraints in shaping ethnic differences in medical treatment.