title: Cost analysis of in-patient cancer chemotherapy at a tertiary care hospital.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Cancer remains a major health problem in all communities worldwide. Rising healthcare costs associated with treating advanced cancers present a significant economic challenge. It is a need of the hour that the health sector should devise cost-effective measures to be put in place for better affordability of treatments. To achieve this objective, information generation through indigenous hospital data on unit cost of in-patient cancer chemotherapy in medical oncology became imperative and thus hallmark of this study.
  
  
  METHODS
  The present prospective hospital based study was conducted in Medical Oncology Department of tertiary care teaching hospital.
  
  
  METHODS
  After permission from the Ethical Committee, a prospective study of 6 months duration was carried out to study the cost of treatment provided to in-patients in Medical Oncology. Direct costs that include the cost of material, labor and laboratory investigations, along with indirect costs were calculated, and data analyzed to compute unit cost of treatment.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The major cost components of in-patient cancer chemotherapy are cost of drugs and materials as 46.88% and labor as 48.45%. The average unit cost per patient per bed day for in-patient chemotherapy is Rs. 5725.12 ($125.96). This includes expenditure incurred both by the hospital and the patient (out of pocket).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The economic burden of cancer treatment is quite high both for the patient and the healthcare provider. Modalities in the form of health insurance coverage need to be established and strengthened for pooling of resources for the treatment and transfer of risks of these patients.
authors.affiliation: Department of Hospital Administration, Sher-i-Kashmir Institute of Medical Sciences, Srinagar, Kashmir, India.
authors.forename: Mohammad Ashraf
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Wani
authors.forename: S A
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Tabish
authors.forename: Farooq A
authors.initials: FA
authors.lastname: Jan
authors.forename: Nazir A
authors.initials: NA
authors.lastname: Khan
authors.forename: Z A
authors.initials: ZA
authors.lastname: Wafai
authors.forename: K K
authors.initials: KK
authors.lastname: Pandita
mesh_terms: D000970:Antineoplastic Agents / Q000191:economics* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D003365:Costs and Cost Analysis; D017048:Health Care Costs; D006801:Humans; D007297:Inpatients; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000191:economics*; D063128:Tertiary Health Care
chemical_list: D000970:Antineoplastic Agents