The economic losses of illnesses in day care centre
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.23990/sa.156314Abstract
The economic losses of illnesses among children in day care centres were assessed in Helsinki during a one-year period in 1985—86. The total number of children in municipal communal day care centres was 14 882, of them 2 953 (20 %) under 3 years of age.
The costs resulting from parents forced to stay away from work to take care of their sick children was 36.7 million Finnish marks (FIM), from inefficiently utilized day care centres FIM 22.1 m., from visits to physicians FIM 7.2 m., from hospital treatment FIM 5.7 m., from paid care of sick children at home FIM 5.0 m. and from the use of antibiotics FIM 0.4 m. Thus, the total losses were FIM 77.1 m.
The costs caused by illness among children under 3 years of age were nearly half of the total amount (47 %) or FIM 30.9 m., even though the number of these children was only 20 % of all children. On an average, the economic costs per child were FIM 5 179, FIM 12 319 per child under 3 years of age and FIM 3 412 per child 3 years or older.
