expenditure to treat thalassaemia: an experience at a tertiary care hospital in india

background : the medical and economic problem of thalassaemia are considered to be a vast public health problem in the thalas­saemia belt countries, emphasizing more on prenatal diagnosis as the solution of the problem. methods: a cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted in the institute of haematology & transfusion medicine lo­cated in medical college, kolkata, india to assess the socio-demographic profile, clinical presentation, expenditure for treat­ment of thalassaemia patients and awareness about cause and prevention of the disease. results: thalassaemia patients attended the govt. setting were mostly from lower socioeconomic status with low level of liter­acy. annual expenditure for treatment of thalassaemia ranged from $ 108 to 432; depending on type of treatment with av­er­age cost per transfusion was $ 5.2±2.2.  average 18.5%±14.3 of the total annual income was spent on the treatment for tha­lassae­mia. average man days or school days lost for the patients was 29.87±18.5 and 19.07±12.7 for the accompanying persons. conclusion : blood transfusion and carrier screening facilities should be decentralized to decrease the expenditure for treat­ment and alleviate the harassment of the families. folate and calcium tablets, hepatitis b vaccination can be made available at government setting free of cost.