Cost analysis of establishing dialysis facilities for the treatment of chronic renal failure in Greenland.
OBJECTIVE
At present there are no facilities offering treatment for chronic renal failure with dialysis in Greenland. Patients in need of treatment must go to Denmark. It has been proposed that treatment facilities should be established at Dronning Ingrids Hospital in Nuuk, Greenland. The objective of this study is to explore the costs of such an alternative compared with the situation today.


METHODS
The costs of establishing dialysis facilities in Nuuk, Greenland, and providing dialysis for Greenlandic patients were compared with the costs of the current way of managing dialysis for Greenlandic patients in need of treatment. Data for the study were collected from publicly available statistics, from Dronning Ingrids Hospital in Nuuk and from Rigshospitalet in Copenhagen.


RESULTS
The actual number of patients in dialysis was found to be lower than expected. Based on Danish prevalence statistics, it was expected that about 27 persons in Greenland would be in dialysis each year. Over a time horizon of 10 years, the additional costs of establishing and offering dialysis treatment in Nuuk were expected to amount to an average of 1.4 million Danish kroner (€190,000) per year compared with the current treatment costs. Results were sensitive to the demand for dialysis treatment among people in need of treatment. If all patients in need of dialysis were treated, the additional costs of establishing dialysis facilities and providing treatment in Nuuk were estimated to about 7 million Danish Kroner (€930,000) per year compared with the status quo.


CONCLUSIONS
Changes in the demand for dialysis treatment may influence the cost of establishing treatment facilities in Nuuk.
University of Southern Denmark, Institute of Public Health, Health Economics Research Unit, J.B. Winsløws Vej 9, Odense, Denmark. cka@sam.sdu.dk
Christian
C
Kronborg
Trine
T
Kjær
Mickael
M
Bech
D003365:Costs and Cost Analysis / Q000379:methods; D006116:Greenland; D006296:Health Services / Q000191:economics*; D006801:Humans; D007676:Kidney Failure, Chronic / Q000628:therapy*; D057193:Medical Tourism; D006435:Renal Dialysis