How Much Does It Cost to Improve Access to Voluntary Medical Male Circumcision among High-Risk, Low-Income Communities in Uganda?

Posted by Share-Net NL on May 11, 2015 at 5:29 am



The mobile voluntary medical male circumcision (VMMC) program in Uganda was established specifically to improve access to VMMC services in more remote, high-risk, and low-income populations. The authors of this study used costing information from routine implementation records to evaluate the costs of VMMC performed in the mobile program and compare these costs to those of procedures performed in a fixed site. They estimated that in 2012, the cost of completing one procedure in the mobile program was US$60.79 for locations where staff returned to a central site, and $72.21 for locations where staff camped, compared to $34 per procedure at a fixed site. The cost of the disposable surgical kit ($23 in 2012) was the greatest cost in the mobile program—larger than total equipment costs per procedure or total staff salaries. On service days, the mobile program completed 30 procedures (roughly one every 30 minutes during an eight-hour day with two surgeons). The authors concluded that though they are more expensive, mobile VMMC programs help improve access for hard-to-reach, relatively poor, and high-risk rural populations. Additionally, the availability of mobile clinics almost certainly diminishes client costs by reducing out-of-pocket travel expenses, lost time, and associated lost income for clients—all of which are proven barriers to treatment access.

Author: Larson, B.
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