Households Health Cost from Water Borne Diseases in District Swat, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan

Abstract

The provision of safe drinking water is a very serious issue in Pakistan, including Swat district. Recently, the effects of unsafe drinking water on the health cost of the local community of district Swat has got their importance. The main objective of the study is to estimate the households’ health costs of waterborne diseases. The secondary objective of the study is to determine the factors that affect the household health cost from water borne diseases. The study applied to the health cost function on primary data collated from 433 households through a survey questionnaire in district Swat. Results reveal that typhoid, diarrhea, vomiting, and gastroenteritis (vomiting & diarrhea) are the most common waterborne diseases in the District. In rural areas of the district, the prevalence of typhoid and gastroenteritis is higher, whereas in urban areas the prevalence of diarrhea and vomiting is higher. Besides, households who use drinking water from public tube wells mostly suffer from gastroenteritis and vomiting, whereas households who use water from digging wells or from natural springs mostly suffer from gastroenteritis and diarrhea. On average, households bear the highest direct and total health costs of PKR 11685 or USD 52 and PKR 12778 or USD 57 respectively, if their family member suffers from typhoid. Similarly, on average, households bear the highest indirect health cost of PKR 1388 or USD 6, if their family member suffers from diarrhea. Results from the regressions show that household income, disease affected member age, education of household head, the prevalence of typhoid, diarrhea, vomiting, gastroenteritis, and the drinking water sources like tube well and spring significantly affect the direct, indirect, and total health costs of the households. The study recommended that the renovation of the existing drinking water sources and introduction of new safe drinking water schemes can reduce the burden of waterborne diseases and can reduce the health cost of households.