Economic Cost of End Stage Renal Disease: A Study of Patients Attending the Renal Dialysis Unit of the Korlebu Teaching Hospital

Abstract

BACKGROUND: End Stage Renal Disease is the condition of total and permanent kidney failure, in which dialysis or kidney transplantation is vital for survival. The economic burden of ESRD is enormous and is borne not only by the patient but also society and the nation at large. OBJECTIVES: To determine the economic cost of care of patients with ESRD undergoing haemodialysis. METHOD: A cross-sectional study of patients at the Dialysis Unit of the Korle-Bu teaching hospital was undertaken using cost of illness approach. The direct cost comprised medical and non-medical costs. Indirect cost was determined by valuing the productivity time of unpaid caregivers using national daily minimum wage. The intangible cost was assessed with a descriptive approach by use of a Likert scale. RESULTS: The study estimated average monthly direct cost to be GHS 3,585.73 (USD 753.00) and the average indirect cost being GHS 580.41 (USD121.89) monthly. The total economic cost per patient per month was found to be GHS 4,166.15 (USD 874.89) per month. CONCLUSION: The direct cost of ESRD is enormous(86% of the total cost), loss of productivity measured as indirect cost is also substantive(14% of the total cost). The intangible costs associated with ESRD is also considerable, as the disease poses considerable psychosocial disturbance to the patient.