Tuberculosis puts a financial burden on households
Kochi, August 29, 2021:
The National Tuberculosis Program provides free diagnosis and treatment facilities for all tuberculosis patients. However, in reality, nearly 50% of tuberculosis patients experience “catastrophic” medical costs, forcing their households to reduce their basic costs, new studies show. .. Tuberculosis Goal? "
Handling tuberculosis cases during the pandemic is also important, as there are concerns that Covid is rapidly increasing the number of tuberculosis cases in the country. India has the highest number of tuberculosis patients in the world (27% of the world market share). Currently, more than 24,500 tuberculosis patients seek treatment in the state, with two-thirds reported in the economically productive age group (14-59 years).
To investigate the impact of tuberculosis treatment out-of-pocket (OOPE), medical burden, catastrophic medical costs, difficult financing, and poverty in India, the author surveyed data from three national statistical surveys — 2004-05, 2013-14 and 2017-18. Current analysis helps to understand the financial burden on households of tuberculosis treatment over the last 15 years. It provides policy makers with evidence for more effective resource channeling to achieve tuberculosis-free India by 2025.
Analysis shows that OOPE, medical burdens, difficult financing, and catastrophic medical costs are fairly high among people using private hospital services and poor rural households. Overall, 49% of hospitalized patients and 52% of tuberculosis OPD patients were exposed to catastrophic medical costs in 2018.
By the way, men are more affected by tuberculosis than women, which also affects their family’s income. In 2004, the proportion of men and women seeking outpatient tuberculosis treatment was about the same, but in 2014 and 2018 it was 80% to 20%. For hospitalization, there are more male patients than females.
“The 2025 and 2035 TB control milestones have the goal of not allowing affected families to face the catastrophic costs of tuberculosis. Based on analysis using various rounds of NSSO, this is It’s far from achieving reality in India, “said Denny John, a part-time assistant professor at the Amrita Institute of Medical Sciences and co-author of the study. ET Health