Cost of illness of tuberculosis in Penang, Malaysia.
OBJECTIVE
To assess the costs incurred by the public health services and patients as a result of tuberculosis (TB) treatment. Setting The study was conducted in a government hospital located in the northern region of Malaysia.


METHODS
Retrospective data were collected from medical records and the patients were observed until the completion of their medication. A pharmacoeconomic evaluation was applied to calculate direct and indirect costs.


METHODS
Direct and indirect costs of tuberculosis treatment in a government health institution.


RESULTS
Two hundred and one tuberculosis patients were included in the study. Different regimens with various durations of treatments were used. The direct medical and non-medical costs as well as indirect costs were calculated and were found to be as follows: US$61.44 for anti-tuberculosis drugs and supplies, US$28.63 for X-ray examinations, US$28.53 for laboratory tests, US$20.03 for healthcare staff time, US$4.28 for hospitalisation, US$43.20 for overhead costs, US$608.11 for transportation and meals and US$118.78 for time away from work. The cost to the patients constitutes approximately 80% of the total cost of the treatment.


CONCLUSIONS
The cost of treating the illness of tuberculosis per patient was US$916.4. The cost of anti-tuberculosis drugs constituted the highest proportion of the cost to the public health services (31.7%) while the cost to the patient constituted the major proportion of the total cost of the illness (79.4%).
Elamin
Elfatih Ibrahim
EI
Social and Administrative Pharmacy School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Penang, Malaysia.
Ibrahim
Mohamed Izham Mohamed
MI
Sulaiman
Syed Azhar Syed
SA
Muttalif
Abdul Razak
AR
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000995:Antitubercular Agents / Q000191:economics / Q000627:therapeutic use; D017281:Cost of Illness; D003362:Cost-Benefit Analysis; D003627:Data Interpretation, Statistical; D016527:Drug Costs; D017850:Economics, Pharmaceutical; D005006:Ethnicity; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008296:Malaysia / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009313:National Health Programs / Q000191:economics; D014376:Tuberculosis / Q000191:economics* / Q000453:epidemiology
D000995:Antitubercular Agents