This archive report was first published on 22 October 2019.
Public hospitals in Kenya are failing diabetic patients, with nearly half of them reporting poor services and incurring higher transport costs to access care, a new study has found.
The study, conducted by scientists from the Kenya Medical Research Institute (Kemri) and Moi University, assessed the costs of treating diabetes patients at five public health facilities in Kilifi and Bungoma Counties.
Published last Thursday, the study involved 163 adult patients in the two counties and found that the annual cost of treating diabetes in these facilities was Sh53,907 for direct costs, including medicines and hospital charges.
However, patients also incurred about Sh23,174 more in indirect costs for transport, food, and accommodation, bringing the total cost to Sh77,081.
Medicines accounted for 87.3 per cent of the total out-of-pocket costs, while transport and food accounted for 10.4 per cent and 2.3 per cent respectively.
More than half of the diabetic patients, 57.7 per cent, were also hypertensive, requiring them to spend even more on treatment.
Overall, about two-thirds of the patients, 68.1 per cent, were not enrolled in any type of health insurance scheme, making them vulnerable to financial hardship.
The researchers say that such medical expenses in a country with very high poverty levels are debilitating for most of the affected families.
According to the study, 123 or 75.5 per cent of the patients had been pushed into poverty by the high direct and indirect cost of diabetes care.
“About 23 per cent of the patients had to borrow from friends or family, 30 per cent sold an asset, and 36.8 per cent used their savings to pay for the costs of diabetes care,” the study says.
The high cost was attributed to lack of care at the nearest facility, long waiting times, and high cost of medicine.
Published on October 22, 2019, the study appears in The International Journal of Health Planning and Management.
