Household expenditure on malaria case management in Wad-Medani, Sudan

This study was done in Wad-Medani town in the central Sudan. A household survey and a hospital survey were conducted using structured questionnaires to assess household expenditure on malaria case management. A total of 360 cases of malaria were reported in the household survey. They were assessed by a questionnaire focused on household income daily expenditure and resources), with special attention to treatment and cost incurred. Also, a random sample of malaria cases hospitalized in the medical, obstetrical and paediatric wards in Wad-Medani hospitals were interviewed, comprising 75 adult patients and 75 children. Cases in the house survey were treated in health centers, private clinics, health insurance facilities or by self-medication. The mean expenditure on diagnosis and treatment of an episode of malaria was US dollars 5.12 for home-treated cases and US dollars 17.2 for a hospitalized case, representing a significant economic burden to family income. This cost varied according to type of treatment, type of health care provider and in hospitalized versus home-treated cases.