Cost utility analysis of HIV/AIDS treatment : a case study of antiretroviral treatment and herbal treatment in Ghana

Abstract

The thesis is about the cost utility analysis (CUA) of the treatment of HIV/AIDS in Ghana. One hundred and six participants took part in the study. Participants of this study were People Living with HIV/AIDS. These are clients in two different clinics in Ghana-the Fevers’ Unit of the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital and the Health for All Herbal Clinic. Two treatment strategies were considered. The treatment strategy at Fevers’ Unit is the ARV drugs, while the treatment strategy at the Health for All Herbal Clinic is the herbal treatment, DnT Veramin 1&2. Questionnaires were administered to the participants to elicit information about their demographic characteristics, their annual cost of HIV/AIDS treatment and their effect measures. The effect measures are QALY taken from EQ5D5. These outcome measures were calculated from the societal perspective and the individual payer perspective. The incremental cost effectiveness ratio (ICER) was calculated. Results show that ARV treatment is cost effective. From the societal perspective, The ICER is GHC3,493 per QALY when the productivity cost is included and GHC3,193 per QALY (when productivity cost is excluded). From the individual health care payer perspective, the ICER is GHC860 per QALY when productivity cost is included and GHC560 per QALY when productivity cost is excluded. The willingness to pay (WTP) is set at the GDP per capita of Ghana, which is GHC5,022. When the computed ICERs are compared with the per capita GDP of GHC5,022 per QALY, the ICER values are less. This shows that the ARV treatment is cost effective, and policy makers and all stakeholders should (all things being equal) implement programmes to scale up ARV treatment for PLWHAs.