The 13th World Conference on Tobacco OR Health

The large population (230 millions) and high prevalence of active smokers (60 % of males), places Indonesia as rank fifth among countries with the highest tobacco consumption globally. In 2005, the cigarette consumption is estimated 190 billion sticks (majority are clove cigarettes/Kretek).

Objective: for advocacy purposes in tobacco control, the NIHRD conducted medical cost estimation of diseases attributed to tobacco use.

Methods: to estimate the number of cases in 2005, the prevalence of diseases attributed to tobacco use (based on ICD-10) were obtained from the National Health Survey 2001 and 2004. Demographic data for 2005 was projected from the 2000 Population Census. Average medical costs of individual disease attributed to tobacco use and average length of stay, were collected from the Central Public Hospital in Jakarta. The costs include: emergency services, surgical services, drugs and medical supplies, radiological services (X-Ray, CT Scan, MRI), pathological services, ECG, clinical laboratory services and cost of hospital ward based on 2nd class tariff.

Results: in 2005 the medical costs of tobacco use are in the amount of 12.7 trillion rupiahs or equal to 1.27 billion US Dollars. The main direct medical costs (in US Dollars) were contributed by patients hospitalized for Neoplasm (12.7 million), Cardiovascular Diseases (353.5 million), Respiratory Diseases (828.6 million), and other diseases (82.2 million). The study provides another fact that tobacco use causes a severe economic toll on family and society resources, as well as public sector health care resources; and affects the government ability to devote limited resources to other social priorities.