The cost of Third World anaesthesia: an estimate of consumption of drugs and equipment in anaesthetic practice in Malawi.

Over a four week period in early 1993 all items used in the giving of anaesthesia were recorded. By relating the cost of items used to the number of patients treated in the same period, a per capita cost of US$3.96 per anaesthetic was calculated. By extrapolation, the total cost of running the service for a year, treating 9,560 patients, was estimated at US$37,940. The factors that increase expenditure are discussed, as in the association between reducing costs and maintaining safe anaesthesia practice.