Cost and Financial Challenges of Accessing Bone Marrow Transplantation: Opinion Survey in a Nigerian Tertiary Institution

Abstract

Background: Bone Marrow Transplantation is a procedure that involves infusion of bone marrow cells to a recipient to treat bone marrow diseases like leukemia, sickle cell disease and autoimmune diseases. This medical intervention was first done in the early sixties and has since become popular in many countries. However, same cannot be said of African countries especially resource poor nations like Nigeria due to the expensive nature of the procedure. This study is aimed at seeking the opinion of Nigerians in a university community concerning the cost of Bone Marrow Transplantation and how to subsidize the cost and make the treatment accessible for Nigerians. Materials and Methods: A questionnaire was used to collect information from participants at Edo University Iyamho, Edo State, Nigeria. Data was analyzed using SPSS version 23. Results: A total of 196 respondents were interviewed out of which 85.2% said the Bone Marrow Transplantation is very expensive and same percentage of respondents said government’s intervention would reduce the cost.  One hundred and sixty-five (84.2%) agreed that the role of National Health Insurance Scheme will also reduce the cost.  Corruption was identified by 86.3% of participants as the major impediment towards subsidizing the cost of the procedure. Conclusion/Recommendation: We conclude that the cost of Bone Marrow Transplantation is very expensive to Nigerians and government need to play vital role towards subsidizing the cost. Activating the National Health Insurance Scheme and tackling corruption are the main ways the cost would be subsidized.