The rate and cost of hospitalisation in children with sickle cell anaemia and its implications in a developing economy

Background: There is paucity of data on the cost and rate of hospitalization in children with sickle cell anaemia (SCA) in most developing nations. Objective: To estimate the rate and cost of hospitalization in children with SCA in Nigeria and evaluate the economic burdens on their families. Methods: The number and duration of hospitalizations; estimated aggregate family's monthly income, cost of care and percentage of the mean annual income spent on hospitalization for each respondent were obtained using a structured questionnaire. Results: The mean age of the 73 children was 61.1(44.3) months; M:F was 1:1.6. They had 183 admissions (average of 2.5(1.9) admissions per child per year). The mean family monthly income was $250.37, while the average cost of care per hospitalization per subject was $132.67. The total cost of care during the year was $24,278.37. About one-third of the caregivers spent at least 10% of their estimated annual income as total cost of hospitalization. Conclusion: The rate and the cost of hospitalization for children with SCA and the percentage of income spent on hospitalization were too high in our environment. Government should strengthen the National Health Insurance Scheme and subsidise the cost of care to these children.