Table 1. Definition of the variables.

Malmquist DEA model Variables		Definition
Input	Provincial government health expenditure	Government health expenditure refers to the funds that governments, of all levels, use for various purposes, including medical and health services, medical security subsidies, health and medical security management and population and family planning affairs.
Output	Medical and health institutions	The units that obtain the license of medical institution practice from the health administration department or obtain the registration certificate of legal person unit from the civil affairs, industrial and commercial administration department. They obtain the permission of the organization establishment administration department to provide medical care, disease control, health supervision services or engage in medical scientific research and medical on-the-job training. Medical and health institutions include hospitals, primary medical and health institutions, specialized public health institutions and other medical and health institutions.
	Health technicians	Health workers in primary hospitals, medical and health institutions, professional public health agencies and other institutions focused on medical and health work. ® Workers include health technicians, rural doctors and medical corpsman and other technical personnel, management personnel and logistical personnel. All are paid an end-of-the-year salary and are included in employee statistics.
	Beds of the medical institution	The number of beds refers to fixed existing beds (non-established beds) at the end of the year, including regular beds, cots, monitoring beds, beds in the process of disinfection and repair and beds discontinued due to expansion or overhaul. This category excludes neonatal beds for obstetrics, waiting beds for delivery in delivery room, stock beds, observation beds, temporary extra beds and patient home care beds.
Tobit regression model Variables		Definition
Region		In this study, regions are divided into the eastern (Beijing, Tianjin, Hebei, Liaoning, Shanghai, Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Fujian, Guangdong, Hainan, Shandong), central (Shanxi, Jilin, Heilongjiang, Anhui, Jiangxi, Henan, Hubei, Hunan) and western (Sichuan, Chongqing, Guizhou, Yunnan, Tibet, Shaanxi, Gansu, Qinghai, Ningxia, Sinkiang, Guangxi, Inner Mongolia) regions, and these distinctions are made on the basis of China’s seventh Five-Year Plan.
Economic		Per Capita GDP
Education		Illiterate Population Aged 15 and Over (by Region)
Urbanization		Proportion of Urban Population at Year-end (by region)
Population		Population density by (region)
Related policy		Health care interventions since 2009