Costs of major mental illnesses and determinants of cost to the public health service provider in Ethiopia

Abstract

Introduction: Enhancing the well-being of individuals and communities besides enabling them to achieve their self-determined goals is the main purpose of mental health service.

Objectives: To estimate the economic cost of major mental illnesses and cost determinants to the public health service provider.

Methods: Hospital-based cross-sectional study was conducted to estimate cost of major mental illnesses using prevalence-based, bottom-up costing approach. Average cost was calculated by identifying and adding various components oftreatment costs from service provision units.

Results: Unit cost of 1,204 ETB was incurred to the public health service provider to give mental health services at Amanuel Hospital. Additionally, the hospital incurred a unit cost of 225 ETB to provide emergency services while the unit costs to inpatient and outpatient health services were 23,016 and 618 ETB respectively. Distribution of the hospital outpatient cost significantly differs for the residence area of patients (x²=20.5, P < 0.001) and total hospital outpatient cost (x²=113.2, p<0.001) significantly differs for the number of visits made to the outpatient department of the hospital.

Conclusion: Providing inpatient mental health service is more costly than outpatient and emergency mental health services for the hospital.