The total health related expenditure can be broken up into five categories:
1. Dialysis
2. Erythropoietin
3. Medication, Lab Tests and Doctors consultation
There could be other expenses too if some condition develops that needs to be treated. However, during normal months, these will be the main expenses.
(Note that these are only indicative and approximate costs based on enquiries with different sources. Your vendors / centers might charge different amounts based on various factors.)
1. Dialysis
Peritoneal Dialysis:
This involves the cost of the PD bags of fluid. The fluid is available in different concentrations. The rate of the fluid does not depend on the concentration. The rate depends only on the volume. Most people on CAPD use the 2 liter bags while those on CCPD use 5 liter bags.
There are different companies offering PD treatment in India like Baxter, Gambro etc.
Baxter costs:
CAPD:
Cost of one 2 liter bag: Rs. 170
Total cost of bags assuming 4 exchanges per day, 7 days a week: Rs. 21,000
CCPD:
Cost of one 5 liter bag: Rs. 416
Total cost of bags assuming 2 bags used per night, 7 nights a week: Rs. 25,000
Cost of renting Home Choice machine: Rs. 10,000 per month.
Initial deposit for Home Choice machine: Rs. 1,50,000
In Center (Hospital) Hemodialysis:
Cost of dialysis with new kit: Rs. 2,000 to 3,000
Cost of dialysis with reuse: Rs. 1,250 to Rs. 2,300
Assuming one does thrice a week session and uses a new kit every 2 weeks:
Total minimum cost: Rs. 17,000
Home hemodialysis
Initial cost:
Hemodialysis machine: Rs. 6,00,000 (approximate, depends on the brand)
Reverse Osmosis Water Treatment Plant: Rs. 1,00,000 (approximate, depends on the brand)
Electrical wiring, plumbing and miscellaneous: Rs. 1,00,000
Recurring monthly cost:
Depends on the number of sessions and the duration of each session.
For six nights a week, 7 hours each night, assuming that a new dialyzer and tubing is used every week, approximate cost: Rs. 18,000
2. Erythropoietin:
Erythropoietin (EPO) is a hormone that is produced by the kidneys that helps to regulate the Hemoglobin which affects our energy levels among other things. Many people on dialysis have low Hemoglobin and need to take some dose of EPO. The cost of EPO varies from company to company and depends on the strength (number of units). Here I give approximate values just to get an idea. Please note that cost varies from city to city too.
2,000 units - Rs. 300 to Rs 750
4,000 units - Rs. 865 to Rs. 2000
10,000 units - Rs. 1800 to Rs. 3000
As you can see there is a wide range in the costs. The actual cost depends on the manufacturer and the city.
3. Medication, Lab Tests and Doctor's Consultation:
These vary greatly from month to month depending on the circumstances. For budgeting purposes, I would allocate Rs. 1000 for medication, Rs. 1500 for lab tests and Rs. 500 for doctors consultation.