The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the need for the betterment of health status, while also considering health expenditure, energy, and environmental issues. This paper examines the nexus between health status and health expenditure (both public and private), energy consumption and environmental pollution in the SAARC-BIMSTEC region. We utilized the panel autoregressive distributed lag (ARDL) model, the heterogeneous panel causality test, the cross sectional dependence test, the cointegration test and the Pesaran cross sectional dependent (CADF) unit root test for obtaining estimated results from data over 16 years (2002–2017). Our results authorize the cointegration among the variables used, where the coefficients of energy consumption, public and private health expenditures, and economic growth are 0.027, 0.014, 0.030, and 0.029, respectively, and indicating positive and statistically significant effects. The coefficient of environmental pollution is − 0.085, implying significant negative effect on the health status of these regions in the long-run. However, no panel wise significant impact is found in the short-run. Bidirectional and unidirectional causal links between the studied variables and the health status are also identified.. The improved health status in the SAARC-BIMSTEC region needs to be protected by articulating the effective policies. The attained results are theoretically and empirically consistent, and have important policy implications in the health sector.

中文翻译：

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健康状况与健康支出、能源消耗和环境污染之间的关系：来自 SAARC-BIMSTEC 地区的经验证据

COVID-19 大流行凸显了改善健康状况的必要性，同时也考虑了健康支出、能源和环境问题。本文研究了 SAARC-BIMSTEC 地区的健康状况与卫生支出（公共和私人）、能源消耗和环境污染之间的关系。我们利用面板自回归分布滞后 (ARDL) 模型、异质面板因果关系检验、横截面依赖性检验、协整检验和 Pesaran 横截面依赖性 (CADF) 单位根检验从 16 年（2002 年）的数据中获得估计结果–2017）。我们的结果授权使用的变量之间存在协整关系，其中能源消耗、公共和私人卫生支出以及经济增长的系数分别为 0.027、0.014、0.030 和 0.029，并表明积极的和统计上的显着影响。环境污染系数为−0.085，长期来看对这些地区的健康状况有显着的负面影响。然而，在短期内没有发现面板明智的重大影响。还确定了研究变量与健康状况之间的双向和单向因果关系。SAARC-BIMSTEC 地区改善的健康状况需要通过阐明有效的政策来保护。所获得的结果在理论上和经验上是一致的，并且对卫生部门具有重要的政策意义。然而，在短期内没有发现面板明智的重大影响。还确定了研究变量与健康状况之间的双向和单向因果关系。SAARC-BIMSTEC 地区改善的健康状况需要通过阐明有效的政策来保护。所获得的结果在理论上和经验上是一致的，并且对卫生部门具有重要的政策意义。然而，在短期内没有发现面板明智的重大影响。还确定了研究变量与健康状况之间的双向和单向因果关系。SAARC-BIMSTEC 地区改善的健康状况需要通过阐明有效的政策来保护。所获得的结果在理论上和经验上是一致的，并且对卫生部门具有重要的政策意义。