Table 2. Cost of newborn health services in public and private health sectors.
| Variables | Public Health Sector Costs (US$) | Private Health Sector Out-of-pocket Costs (US$) | Mean Difference (Overall private minus public) |
p-value | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Secondary hospitals (n = 5) Mean (SD) |
Tertiary hospital* (n = 1) |
Overall public (n = 6) Mean (SD) |
Clinics/care provider (n = 19) Mean (SD) |
Secondary hospitals (n = 5) Mean (SD) |
Tertiary hospital* (n = 1) |
Overall private (n = 25) Mean (SD) |
||||
| Ambulatory visits for newborn care (cost per visit) | ||||||||||
| Medical doctor | 2.7 (1.8) | 0.4 | 1.6 (1.7) | 1(0) | 2.6 (1.1) | 2 | 1.9 (1.1) | 0.3 | 0.0001 | |
| Nurse | NA | NA | - | 2.3 (2.5) | NA | NA | 2.3 (2.5) | 2.3 | ||
| Midwife | NA | NA | - | 0.5 (0) | NA | NA | 0.5 (0) | 0.5 | ||
| Traditional birth attendant | NA | NA | - | 0.5 (0) | NA | NA | 0.5 (0) | 0.5 | ||
| Diagnostic tests (cost per test) | ||||||||||
| Fetal ultrasound | 0.5 (0) | 0.5 | 0.5 (0) | 4 (0) | 6.3 (6.4) | 6 | 5.4 (4.7) | 4.9 | <0.0001 | |
| Fetal x-ray | 1 (0) | 0.5 | 0.5 (0.3) | 1.5 (0) | 3.8 (2.3) | 6 | 3.8 (2.4) | 3.3 | ||
| Blood grouping | 0.3 (0) | 0.2 | 0.3 (0.1) | NA | 2.2 (2.8) | 3.4 | 2.8 (2.3) | 2.5 | ||
| Arterial blood gases | NA | NA | - | NA | 12.9 (0) | 8.5 | 10.7 (3.1) | 10.7 | ||
| Phototherapy | NA | 1 | 1 | NA | NA | 2 | 2 | 1 | ||
| In-patient admissions (cost per overnight stay) | ||||||||||
| Nursery | NA | 10.3 | 10.3 | NA | 11.2 (0) | 16.4 | 13.8 (3.7) | 3.5 | 0.0011 | |
| General ward | 4.5 (0) | 8.2 | 6.4 (2.6) | NA | 5.9 (1.28) | 12.1 | 9 (3.6) | 2.6 | ||
| Intensive care | NA | 22.3 | 22.3 | NA | 17.8 (10.6) | 20.2 | 19 (7.8) | -3.3 | ||
* Mean and standard deviation not calculated for one facility; SD: Standard deviation; NA: not available at designated health facility