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Journalism of Courage
A study by researchers from the All India Institute of Medical Sciences,Christian Medical College,Vellore,and Tufts University School of Medicine,Boston published in the current issue of the Indian Journal of Medical Research has estimated that every hospitalisation due to rotavirus infection,the commonest cause of childhood diarrhoea,costs a family an average of Rs 2,956 in treatment expenditure and man-days lost.
As per a 2009 study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention,Atlanta,rotavirus annually causes an estimated 1,22,000-1,53,000 deaths and 4,57,000-8,84,000 hospitalisations. Thus,as per findings of IJMR study,the infection could annually cost over Rs 250 crore,exclusive of expenses of outpatient treatment. The research advocates a universal rotavirus vaccination programme and need for local manufacturers. ICMR is in the final stages of rotavirus vaccine trial,started two years ago.
At $ 53.75,the average expenditure in India is at par with the range of cost estimates for diarrhoeal hospitalisations available for developing countries like Vietnam ($ 36),Ghana ($ 65.14-133.86).
To understand the scale of an infectious disease problem,it is very important to understand the economic burden it creates. This is the first of a series of studies to assess how much common diseases cost…, said Dr Shobha Broor,Professor of microbiology,AIIMS,and one of the authors of study.
A total of 211 patients from eight hospitals in Delhi,Vellore,Kolkata and Pune were enrolled. The average cost of treatment in a government setup was Rs 233 while that in a private hospital was Rs 6,071. Of the vaccines available,the two commonest cost between Rs 2,200 and Rs 2,700 per course. … a universal vaccine programme for India could be cost-effective based on a decision rule whereby an intervention that averts one disability-adjusted life-year for less than Indias GDP per capita ($ 1,017 in 2008) is considered to be a highly cost-effective intervention, it said.
