Cost of Major Mental Illnesses to the Public Health Service Provider, Amanuel Hospital, Ethiopia
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Date
2013-10
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Addis Abeba University
Abstract
Background: Mental health is about enhancing competencies of individuals and
communities and enabling them to achieve their self-determined goals. Since mental illness
is problem of society as a whole, it is a major challenge to global development.
Objectives: To estimate the economic cost of major mental illnesses and determinants of
cost from the public health service provider’s perspective.
Methods: The design of the research was hospital based cross sectional quantitative
survey. The costing method that the research used was prevalence based bottom-up
costing approach. The cost identified is direct costs incurred by the health service provider
for providing mental health service during one year period for major mental illnesses.
Using this method cost was estimated by calculating average costs of major mental
illnesses (Schizophrenia and Bi-polar). The average cost of treatment was identified by
adding together the various pieces of cost of treatment. Cost items identified from
outpatient, inpatient and emergency departments and laboratory units. Additionally
physical resources of the hospital used were also added.
Results: The hospital incurred a unit cost of 1,204.2 ETB to provide mental health services
for major mental illnesses. The marginal cost of providing health care for each additional
patient at the hospital was 118 ETB. The hospital incurred a unit cost of 229.3 ETB to
provide emergency health service, 23,016.1 ETB to provide inpatient health and 611.4 ETB
to provide outpatient health service for major mental illnesses. Among the total hospital
cost the drugs cost amount was 31.5 ETB, 220.4 ETB and 496.6 ETB for providing
emergency, inpatient and outpatient mental health service respectively.
Conclusion: Distribution of the hospital cost significantly differs by the residence area of
the patients. Distribution of the hospital outpatient cost significantly differs by the number
of visits made to the outpatient department of the hospital. Providing inpatient mental
health service is more costly than outpatient and emergency mental health services.
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Keywords
Cost,Mental Illnesses,Public Health Service Provider