The village fund utilization and its implication for public health improvement in the pandemic era

Introduction: The allocation of village funds to the health sector focused on reducing nutritional problems and involving the village in controlling non-natural disasters caused by COVID-19. The study aimed to analyze the implication of the village fund toward public health performance in the pandemic era. Methods: Ecological analysis was conducted using secondary data from the East Java Health Profile 2020. The sample was 29 districts of East Java, where all the villages receive village funds. Apart from village fund utilization as the dependent variable, the independent variable consists of nutritional status, active Posyandu, case of COVID-19 and recovery rate of COVID-19. Data were analyzed by univariate and bivariate. The bivariate analysis was performed using the chi-squared test. Results: Undernourished and wasting were silent health burdens in the pandemic. The pandemic also made the active Posyandu is lower. High attention to Kediri dan Jombang was grouped to vulnerable health areas. Statistically, no correlation between the village fund utilization with public health improvement in the pandemic era. Conclusion: Although there is no statistical correlation, nutrition issues and the impact of using village funds on health must be a concern. An in- depth evaluation needs to be carried out on the use of village funds to get clear implications for public health.