Costs incurred by patients with drug-susceptible pulmonary tuberculosis in semi-urban and rural settings of Western India
Infectious Diseases of Poverty·
- DOI
- 10.1186/s40249-020-00760-w
- PMID
- 33076969
- PMCID
- PMC7574230
- OpenAlex
- W3092870727
- Study type
- Cross-sectional study
- Publisher
- Springer Science and Business Media LLC
- Article type
- journal-article
- Integrity
- current
Why this research matters now
While treatment completion rates were high and patient costs were relatively low, negative financial consequences—including catastrophic costs, borrowing, and job loss—persisted even in this low-cost setting, indicating potential benefit from universal cash transfer programs.
Structured evidence summary
Research question
The study estimated direct and indirect costs incurred by patients with drug-susceptible pulmonary tuberculosis in the Bhavnagar region of Gujarat state, India, using an adapted WHO costing tool.
Study design
A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted among adults being treated for drug-susceptible pulmonary TB who were notified in the public sector during January–June 2019.
Population and setting
The study included 458 patients across six urban and three rural blocks in the Bhavnagar region of Gujarat state, western India; 70% were male, 62% had no formal education, and 71% lived in urban areas.
Main findings
Median total TB-related costs were USD 8 (IQR 5–28), with indirect costs (primarily lost wages) contributing more than direct non-medical costs (primarily travel). Four percent of patients faced catastrophic costs (exceeding 20% of annual household income), 11% borrowed money, and 7% lost employment. The median working days lost was 30. Treatment completion was 96%, and 88% of patients received cash transfers (median USD 43).
Public-health relevance
While treatment completion rates were high and patient costs were relatively low, negative financial consequences—including catastrophic costs, borrowing, and job loss—persisted even in this low-cost setting, indicating potential benefit from universal cash transfer programs.
Important limitations
This summary is limited to the supplied single-article abstract and metadata; the original paper is required for decision-grade interpretation. No explicit limitations were stated in the abstract.
GIDS interpretation
The study provides cost and financial hardship data relevant to understanding the economic burden of TB care in a high-burden setting. No surveillance signal or causal relationship to adverse events is addressed or supported by this evidence.
Related GIDS surveillance
Literature context does not validate, explain, or change a surveillance signal. Exact and contextual relationships are shown separately.
Evidence relationships
This article has 8 auditable classifier relationships to diseases, places, topics, and study design.