Abstract:

Preterm birth is an important public health problem due to its medical, economic, and social impact and constitutes about 10% of annual global births. To improve access and equity to health care delivery of preterm infants, identification of major cost areas and strategies to improve efficiency in those areas must be prioritized. This study estimated the health system cost of neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) services for preterm babies in the Regional Hospital, Bolgatanga (RHB). A costing study based on health system perspective designed to estimate cost of initial hospital care for preterm babies was carried out in RHB. Participants were selected based on systematic sampling procedure of preterm babies admitted at the facility from January 2019 to December 2019. The health system and cost estimates of NICU services were done using both top-to-bottom and micro-costing approaches. Preterm births constituted 30% of NICU admissions in 2019. Most preterm infants were of low birth weight (LBW). The total cost for providing initial hospital care for preterm infants in 2019 was GH₵212,776.96 ($35,462.83). The major cost component was shared cost making up 59.20%, especially staff salaries. Direct medical cost constituted 40.80% of the total cost. The RHB would have saved GH₵212,776.96 ($35,462.83) in 2019 if preterm births were eliminated. Prioritizing efficient use of shared resources would save cost for increase access to preterm care.

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