Economic Burdens of Uncomplicated Malaria in Primary Health Care (PHC) Facilities of Plateau State, Nigeria: Patients' Perspectives

• Published in: International journal of environmental research and public health 2023-01, Vol.20 (2), p.1093
• Main Authors: Ismail, Nahlah Elkudssiah, Jimam, Nanloh Samuel, Goh, Khang Wen, Tan, Ching Siang, Ming, Long Chiau
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Caregivers; Cost of Illness; Costs; Costs and Cost Analysis; Data collection; Developing countries; Drugs; Earnings; Economic growth; Economic impact; Financial Stress; Health care; Health Care Costs; Health care facilities; Human capital; Humans; Illnesses; Laboratories; LDCs; Local government; Malaria; Malaria - therapy; Medical electronics; Medical personnel; Nigeria - epidemiology; Opportunity costs; Patients; Poverty; Primary Health Care; Productivity; Registration; Social sciences; Values; Vector-borne diseases
• ISSN: 1660-4601; 1661-7827; 1660-4601
• DOI: 10.3390/ijerph20021093

This study aims at evaluating the costs incurred by patients in Primary Healthcare facilities of Plateau State, Nigeria, due to uncomplicated malaria management. Patients' information on resources used and absence from the labour market due to uncomplicated malaria illness were collected using the self-reported cost of illness instruments across 24 selected Primary Health Care (PHC) facilities in Plateau State. The collated data were used to estimate the direct medical and non-medical costs incurred by patients through the summation of the various costs paid out of pocket for the services; while the indirect cost was estimated using the human capital theory. All analyses were conducted through Microsoft Excel and IBM Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS ) version 23 software. The average direct cost per episode of uncomplicated malaria was estimated at NGN 2808.37/USD 7.39, while the indirect average money equivalence of the time lost due to the ailment was estimated at NGN 2717/USD 7.55, giving an average cost of treating uncomplicated malaria borne by patients in Plateau State per episode to be NGN 5525.37/USD 14.94. The projected annual cost of the disease was NGN 9, 921,671,307.22 (USD 27, 560,198.08). The study showed substantial financial costs borne by patients due to uncomplicated malaria in Plateau State, comprising 50.83% of direct cost and 49.17% of the indirect cost of medications.