Medical costs of cervical cancer: Experiences in Ecuador

In Ecuador, cervical cancer is among the main causes of death per year and generates a large outlay of resources. The Cancer Society is the governing body in cancer care and treatment, however, the determination of the costs involved in these procedures is not established, in this sense, the objective of the research is to present a cost determination mechanism of the medical procedures associated with the areas of responsibility that deal with cervical cancer. A retrospective-descriptive cross-sectional study was carried out in the year 2020 of the expenses that were generated in all the patients attended. The results show that the outpatient clinic (56%) was the area of ​​responsibility that deals with cervical cancer that generated the most costs, while the clinical laboratory area (0.2%) was the one that did the least. The research reveals the need for a tool that calculates the cost of medical procedures, ensuring that the resources allocated to cervical cancer, the subject of this article, are optimized and serve to improve the quality of life of patients