Abstract

Cost to mitigate HIV/AIDS outcomes and information on household socioeconomic impact in Malaysia are very limited, despite their importance to guide key policy decisions. This study aimed to identify the economic impact of chronic adult HIV morbidity, specifically to estimate cost of care from households’ perspective. Median out of pocket health expenditure per patient per year is RM1 080 representing 14.7% of patient’s median income. (Note 1) Productivity loss due to absenteeism and stoppage of works were RM 900 and RM10 800 respectively. The overall HIV/AIDS related cost from household economic perspective appeared to be substantial in this analysis. It reached RM RM359 million representing 0.06% of Malaysian GDP in 2007.An important policy implication is to ensure proper resource allocation to manage and control HIV/AIDS, more investment on training and to ensure that households can support themselves and meet their medical care needs without jeopardizing the wellbeing and future of other household members.

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