Microeconomics of managing Diabetic Ketoacidosis in a rural Nigerian child of low socioeconomic class: a case report

Abstract

Health care delivery is a concurrent responsibility of the various levels of government in Nigeria where most of the populace earn less than one dollar a day. The total expenditure on Nigerian health care as a percentage of gross domestic product, and the percentage of federal government expenditure on health care is far below the World Health Organization recommended standard. Thus, caregivers pay out of their pockets to settle health care expenses of their children thereby creating a negative microeconomic impact on parents, households and health workers. Herein, we report the case management of newly diagnosed Diabetic Ketoacidosis (DKA) in an eight-year-old boy from a low socioeconomic class (SEC), and the costs implication of the child’s hospital care. After forgoing indirect costs like opportunity cost which is difficult to determine, the direct total cost involved in patient’s hospital care for DKA was forty eight thousand eight hundred naira only (N48, 800.00) equivalent to three hundred and ten United States Dollars and eighty three cents (310.83 USD). Based on the high cost of managing DKA observed in the study case, there is a need to convince health system administrators and policy makers to strengthen health insurance so as to enable patients, especially those from low SEC, to pay their hospital bills promptly.

Keywords: Diabetic ketoacidosis; Microeconomics; Costs; Low socioeconomic class; Child; Yola; Nigeria