objectives Pneumonia is the most common reason for visiting an outpatient facility among children
<5 years old in Fiji. The objective of this study is to describe for the first time the costs associated with an
episode of outpatient pneumonia in Fiji, in terms of cost both to the government health sector and to
the household.
methods Costs were estimated for 400 clinically diagnosed pneumonia cases from two outpatient
facilities, one in the capital, Suva, and one in a peri-urban and rural area, Nausori. Household expenses
relating to transport costs, treatment costs and indirect costs were determined primarily through
structured interview with the caregiver. Unit costs were collected from a variety of sources. Patientspecific
costs were summarised as average costs per facility.
results The overall average societal cost associated with an episode of outpatient pneumonia was
$18.98, ranging from $14.33 in Nausori to $23.67 in Suva. Household expenses represent a significant
proportion of the societal cost (29% in Nausori and 45% in Suva), with transport costs the most
important household cost item. Health sector expenses were dominated by personnel costs at both sites.
Both the average total household expenses and the average total health sector expenses were significantly
greater in Suva than Nausori.
conclusions A single episode of outpatient pneumonia represents a significant cost both to the
government health sector and to affected households. Given the high incidence of this disease in Fiji,
this places a considerable burden on society.