Comparative Analysis of the Cost of Thalassemia Screening Vs Treatment in Different Healthcare Sectors in Delhi National Capital Region

Background: Thalassemia is a single gene disorder that is passed on from parents to children. According to the World Health Organization, the carrier rate of thalassemia in is between 3- 5%. Treatment and management of a thalassemia major patient costs the family around USD 5389-13474 per year (INR 100,000–250,000) depending on the age and presence of complications. Screening of antenatal women have the potential to reduce the burden of thalassemia and could offer a much effective strategy. Methods: A hospital based cross-sectional study was conducted to assess the cost of treatment and screening. Patients visiting thalassemia treatment centres in the National Capital Region were asked questions to assess the annual cost of treatment incurred. Results: The annual treatment of thalassemia patients in government, non-governmental/charitable and private sector hospitals is being reported here. When analyzing the cost for the population at large, screening costs only 0.01% of the treatment cost. Conclusion: Therefore, we can infer that screening in whole population is much more efficacious as compared to treatment in 10,000 people. Thus, screening and prevention not only reduces the morbidity and mortality associated with the disease, but also is a better public health model for countries with high prevalence of thalassemia.