Public Health in Practice (Dec 2022)
Discrepancy of financial burden among elderly visiting a private general hospital in Phnom Penh, Cambodia: A three-year cross-sectional study
Abstract
Objectives: This study aims to clarify the financial burden of health on the elderly. Out-of-pocket payment (OOPP) in a major private general hospital in Phnom Penh was considered an indicator of financial burden. Study design: This study is a three-year cross-sectional study. Methods: To investigate the characteristics of patients who visited the Sunrise Japan Hospital (SJH), their data were obtained from the electronic reception database. Results: A total of 119,938 patients who visited SJH from January 2017 to September 2019 were included. The median age (25th, 75th centiles) was 52 years (36, 66) and 38.31% of patients were aged over 60 years. The OOPP median (25th, 75th centiles was 73.78 USD (32, 161.89). The median OOPP was the lowest in the 20s and highest in the 90s. The OOPP of an emergency patient was the highest in the consultation classifications. Conclusions: The need to raise public awareness regarding the financial burden on the elderly is becoming increasingly urgent. It is vital to establish a social system to prevent the medical catastrophes.
