Economic burden of malaria on rural households in Gwanda district, Zimbabwe
African Journal of Primary Health Care & Family Medicine
| Field | Value | |
| Title | Economic burden of malaria on rural households in Gwanda district, Zimbabwe | |
| Creator | Gunda, Resign Shamu, Shepherd Chimbari, Moses J. Mukaratirwa, Samson | |
| Description | Background: Malaria is a serious public health problem in sub-Saharan Africa and is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality.Aim: To estimate the economic burden of malaria in rural households.Setting: The study was conducted in Gwanda district of Matabeleland South in Zimbabwe. A total of five malarious wards and all their households were selected for the study frame, out of which 80 households were chosen using clinic records.Methods: A retrospective analysis of secondary data and a cross-sectional household survey were conducted to estimate the household economic burden of malaria. Eighty households from five rural wards were identified from the health facility malaria registers and followed up. A household was eligible for inclusion if there had been at least one reported malaria case during the period of 2013−2015. Interviewer administered questionnaires were used to collect household data on economic costs of malaria.Results: Our findings showed that households spent an average of $3.22 and $56.60 for managing an uncomplicated and a complicated malaria episode respectively. A household lost an average of eight productive working days per each malaria episode resulting in an average loss of 24% of the monthly household income. An estimated 35%, mostly poorer households suffered catastrophic health expenditures.Conclusion: Malaria imposes significant economic burdens particularly on the poorer and vulnerable households. Although there are no user fees at rural clinics, households incur other costs to manage a malaria patient. These costs are far worse for complicated cases. | |
| Publisher | AOSIS | |
| Date | 2017-08-28 | |
| Identifier | 10.4102/phcfm.v9i1.1317 | |
| Source | African Journal of Primary Health Care & Family Medicine; Vol 9, No 1 (2017); 6 pages 2071-2936 2071-2928 | |
| Language | eng | |
| Relation |
The following web links (URLs) may trigger a file download or direct you to an alternative webpage to gain access to a publication file format of the published article:
https://phcfm.org/index.php/phcfm/article/view/1317/2194
https://phcfm.org/index.php/phcfm/article/view/1317/2193
https://phcfm.org/index.php/phcfm/article/view/1317/2195
https://phcfm.org/index.php/phcfm/article/view/1317/2191
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