The cost of neonatal care.

A medical and financial assessment of the Neonatal Unit at Groote Schuur Hospital showed that the emphasis was on high care provided at a cost of R265 per patient per day. Intensive care cost R530 and low care R88 per day. The average was R172 per day. Infants of very low birth weight (< 1,500 g) accounted for 58% of expenditure. Half of this amount was spent on infants of below 1,000 g; the cost was R14 621 per survivor and R344 per quality-adjusted life-year. The cost declined progressively for infants of greater birth weight. There are a paucity of comparable local data, but the cost of the care was very reasonable.