Cost and Efficiency of PMTCT Services in Andhra Pradesh, India
Author Information
Author(s): Dandona Lalit, Kumar SG Prem, Ramesh YK, Rao M Chalapathi, Marseille Elliot, Kahn James G, Dandona Rakhi
Primary Institution: George Institute for International Health – India
Hypothesis
What is the cost and efficiency of providing PMTCT services in Andhra Pradesh, India?
Conclusion
The study found significant variation in costs for PMTCT services, with some centres showing extremely high costs for providing nevirapine to mother-neonate pairs.
Supporting Evidence
- 125,073 pregnant women received PMTCT services at the 16 centres.
- The overall HIV positive rate among those tested was 1.67%.
- The average economic cost per post-HIV-test counselled pregnant woman was INR 98.9 (US$ 2.23).
- The economic cost per mother-neonate pair who received nevirapine averaged INR 10,210 (US$ 231).
- Scale had a significant inverse relation with unit costs.
- HIV prevalence among pregnant women had a significant inverse relation with unit cost per mother-neonate pair who received nevirapine.
Takeaway
This study looked at how much it costs to help pregnant women avoid passing HIV to their babies in India, and found that some places are much more expensive than others.
Methodology
Cost and output data were collected at 16 PMTCT centres using standardized methods.
Potential Biases
Potential bias in data collection due to reliance on self-reported data from PMTCT centre staff.
Limitations
The study only included PMTCT centres that had functioned throughout the fiscal year and did not consider newly started centres.
Participant Demographics
The study focused on pregnant women receiving PMTCT services in Andhra Pradesh.
Statistical Information
P-Value
0.03
Statistical Significance
p<0.05
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
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