Cost Burden of Dengue Treatment: Poor spend 139pc of monthly income
Families of dengue patients in the capital had to spend Tk 33,817 in treatment cost each on average, which came as an additional financial burden on them, says a government-funded study.
The study also found that the poorest households spent 139 percent of their monthly income for the treatment, which indicates they often emptied their savings, took loans from friends and families, and even sold assets.
Bangladesh Institute of Development Studies (BIDS) collected data between October 15 and November 28 last year for the study, funded by Health Economics Unit of the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare. A total of 1,176 households in Dhaka North City Corporation (DNCC) and Dhaka South City Corporation (DSCC) areas were surveyed in this regard.
The study findings were disclosed at a seminar held at BIDS conference room in the capital yesterday.
According to the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS), 1,01,354 confirmed cases of dengue and 179 deaths were reported in 2019. The numbers were 1,405 and seven respectively the next year.
The DGHS has so far reported 26,000 cases this year.
The BIDS study says the family of a dengue patient had to spend Tk 22,379 on average for treatment at public hospitals. For private hospitals, the amount shot up to Tk 47,230.
The government hospitals spent Tk 6,076 for each patient on average, it said.
Besides, the prevalence of dengue was higher in DSCC areas -- 2.27 percent -- compared to DNCC areas (1.37 percent), BIDS Research Fellow Abdur Razzaque Sarker said while presenting the study paper.
The study found that the societal cost of treatment per dengue case in Bangladesh was Tk 39,893 ($479), which was lower than the average cost of dengue per episode in Thailand ($573), Malaysia ($947), Indonesia (up to $1,250), Venezuela ($627), Brazil ($676), and Panama ($1,065).
The cost in Bangladesh was, however, higher than that in India ($432.2), Pakistan ($358) and Sri Lanka ($32 to $330).The study also found dengue prevalence to be higher in households with gardens.
Besides, the risk of dengue infection was 2.21 times higher for people who did not use mosquito nets compared to those who used them.
The dengue prevalence was higher (4.33 percent) for those who lived on the 5th floor and above, the study also found.
The habit of cleaning refrigerator water trays irregularly posed 2.82 times higher risk of dengue infection than those who cleaned them regularly.
As dengue prevalence was higher in DSCC areas than in DNCC areas, special attention should be paid to the densely-populated areas under DSCC, said Razzaque in the study's recommendation.
The other recommendations included that the authorities concerned must spray mosquito repellents regularly, particularly in densely-populated residential areas, and routinely remove stagnant water to destroy larvae of Aedes mosquitoes.
Binayak Sen, director general of BIDS, who moderated the programme yesterday, said a lack of urban primary health care in all wards was creating problem for city dwellers.
Talking about the high treatment costs in private hospitals, he said cost of bed was exorbitantly high and that the government should properly regulate the sector to address such issues.
As his attention was drawn to the study findings, Manzur Chowdhury, entomologist and former president of Zoological Society of Bangladesh, said, "Apart from paying hospital bills, families need to buy mosquito repellents and nets during the dengue season. Besides, overuse of the repellents causes harm to the lung."
He also said only steps from the authorities were not enough to protect people from dengue. "People also should act responsibly and keep their surroundings clean."
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