The financial burden of traumatic spinal cord injuries in the Republic of Kazakhstan

Objective of the study: The aim was to identify the amount of expenditure the Republic of Kazakhstan incurs to maintain and improve the health and physical well–being of individuals with spinal cord injuries. Methods. The evaluation was conducted based on three indicators: the amount of funds saved for reduced hospitalization, disability, and mortality. The analyzed period: 2018–2022.Results. Over the analyzed period, the economic loss from the hospitalization of patients with traumatic spinal cord injuries amounted to approximately 800 million tenge. Taking into account secondary health conditions, the government spends an additional average of 13.6±0.4%. The total economic loss to the state amounted to 10 598 376 937 tenge, and from mortality, 1 111 907 729,3 tenge. Overall, over the past 5 years, considering hospitalization, disability, and mortality from spinal cord injuries, the economic loss to the state reached 12 620 410 304,6 tenge.Conclusions. Spinal cord injuries impose significant financial burdens, which are not solely due to increased healthcare system expenditures but also affect the patients themselves. Moreover, they reduce the quality of life of the patients (disability, reduced working capacity, etc.). Keywords: financial burden, economic loss, spinal cord injuries.