Cost of tuberculosis-related aeromedical retrievals in the Torres Strait, Australia

Abstract

Tuberculosis (TB) remains a disease of public health significance at the Australia / Papua New Guinea (PNG) international border. In the remote Torres Strait Islands, aeromedical evacuation is a necessary but costly component of TB management and patients with critical care needs require support to prevent onward TB transmission. A detailed costing of an exemplar TB patient from PNG who presented to a Queensland Health facility in the Torres Strait and required urgent aeromedical evacuation was performed. Data were drawn from patient charts, financial and clinical information systems used within Queensland Health and the Torres and Cape Hospital and Health Service. The total cost of aeromedical evacuation was AUD 124,280; 54% of the cost was attributed to travel. Between 2016 and 2019, 19 patients diagnosed with TB were medically evacuated from an outer Torres Strait Island with a median length of hospital stay of 57 days. Aeromedical evacuation and medical management costs require adequate budget allocation.

Critical Consideration of Tuberculosis Management of Papua New Guinea Nationals and Cross-Border Health Issues in the Remote Torres Strait Islands, Australia

“…The cost to provide outpatient care, aeromedical transfer, and inpatient management of a critically ill PNG TB patient from the Torres Strait Islands to Australian tertiary health facilities was recently reported as $124,280 (Australian Dollars) [19]. While the financial cost of aeromedical services is heightened by remote health care requirements, there are personal stakes for patients who present severely unwell, and for clinicians who are required to make difficult decisions regarding optimal treatment for these patients balanced against relevant government policies.…”