Costing universal access of highly active antiretroviral therapy in Benin.

The study aimed to estimate costs of provision and access to highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) in order to assist in planning and resource allocation regarding scaling up and sustainable access to HAART in Benin. A prospective study was carried out to collect data on costs of provision of care at the Outpatient Treatment Centre (OTC) of the National University hospital in Cotonou, Benin and on costs borne by people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA) and their families in accessing care. We used an Excel model, a macro costing approach and WHO guidelines for costing health services. Annual costs were subsequently extrapolated from a societal perspective over a 10-year time horizon. Sensitivity analysis was conducted on major cost categories. The study population was mostly of middle age (median age of 38, IQR 34-42), married (65%), working class (60%) with low literacy (70% primary education level or less). The main drivers of costs of HAART service provision were drugs (73%), biological monitoring (15%) and personnel (8%). Annual costs of provision of HAART and household costs borne by PLWHA and families in seeking care amounted to 1160 USD and 111 USD per PLWHA respectively. These household costs are respectively 40% and 14% of household health and education related costs and may represent catastrophic health expenditures for patients and families. The provision of drugs and biological monitoring, and household costs in accessing care, remain by far the main barriers to ensuring universal access to HAART.