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Health Expenditure by UMT Staffs For Fever, Cough and Flu: A
Comparative between Conventional Medicine and Traditional and
Complementary Medicine (TCM)
Nurfarahin bt Khalil
Supervisor: Madam Roshanim binti Koris
Bachelor of Economics (Natural Resources)
School Of Social and Economic Development
Common diseases such as fever, cough, and flu are often underestimated by the
community. However, this disease can affect your daily activities. The purpose of this
study is to calculate the direct medical costs spent on fever, cough and flu disease
among UMT citizens. This study also provides a comparative cost estimation of
conventional direct medical costs with traditional and complementary medicine (TCM).
Secondary data is obtained through records from PKU and Panel Clinics of UMT. The
results showed that for the year 2017, the number of patients for fever was 13, cough,
fever and flu as many as 1,376 people, fever and cough only 3,353 people, and fever
only 4 people. Direct costs incurred by PKU, RM9, 952 for fever and RM183, 351.56
for cough and RM18, 830.14 for flu. TCM's medical costs are expected to be lower due
to the easy-to-use items available at home. In conclusion, TCM is an alternative for
patients to treat illness naturally, cost-effective and safe.
Keywords: fever, cough, flu, conventional medicine, traditional and complementary
medicine (TCM), direct cost.
1440 | UMT UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH DAY 2018