Cost of Stroke Care in the Neurology Department of the Gabriel Touré Teaching Hospital

Introduction: Strokes are emerging in developing countries due to demographic transition and changes in lifestyle habits. Objectives: We aimed to assess the cost of stroke care in Bamako, Mali. Methods: A descriptive and analytical cross-sectional study was conducted from June 1 to November 30, 2018, over a period of 6 months. All inpatients with a confirmed diagnosis of stroke by brain imaging were included after providing informed consent. Results: Overall, 114 patients were included and males were the most represented gender, with a sex ratio of 1.19. Approximately 37% of our patients possessed either AMO (Assurance Maladie Obligatoire: Mandatory Health Insurance) or ANAM (Agence Nationale pour l’Assistance Médicale: National Agency for Medical Assistance) health insurance. The average cost of stroke care was 179.945 ± 86.140 FCFA (about 274 ± 131 Euros) with a median of 168.255 FCFA. Laboratory analyses accounted for the majority of expenses, in 45.01%. Among uninsured patients, 31.9% incurred expenses ranging from 251,000 to 300,000 FCFA, while insured patients’ expenses never reached this amount. Conclusion: Stoke care is still costly in Mali. The implementation of more accessible and widespread social security insurance is crucial to alleviate the economic burden associated with stroke care.