Expenditure to Treat Thalassaemia: An Experience at aTertiary Care Hospital in India

Background: the medical and economic problem of thalassaemia are considered to be a vast public health problem in thethalassaemia belt countries, emphasizing more on prenatal diagnosis as the solution of the problem.methods: a cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted in the institute of haematology & transfusion medicine locatedin medical college, kolkata, india to assess the socio-demographic profile, clinical presentation, expenditure for treatmentof thalassaemia patients and awareness about cause and prevention of the disease.results: thalassaemia patients attended the govt. setting were mostly from lower socioeconomic status with low level ofliteracy. annual expenditure for treatment of thalassaemia ranged from $ 108 to 432; depending on type of treatment with averagecost per transfusion was $ 5.2±2.2. average 18.5%±14.3 of the total annual income was spent on the treatment for thalassaemia.average man days or school days lost for the patients was 29.87±18.5 and 19.07±12.7 for the accompanying persons.conclusion: blood transfusion and carrier screening facilities should be decentralized to decrease the expenditure for treatmentand alleviate the harassment of the families. folate and calcium tablets, hepatitis b vaccination can be made availableat government setting free of cost.