Abstract

FINANCIAL BURDEN OF PULMONARY TUBERCULOSIS (TB) IN PAKISTAN

Mehwish Rizvi, Baqir Shyum Naqvi, and Atta Abbas*

Abstract

Objectives: To calculate the direct and indirect costs of pulmonary tuberculosis treatment and explore the effects of treatment expenditures on socioeconomic attributes. Materials and Methods: A mix mode cross sectional study was designed in the form of a survey which was conducted in Pakistan. The research instrument consisted of a survey questionnaire. The target population for the study comprised of newly diagnosed smear positive pulmonary tuberculosis patients. The data thus gathered was entered in to the SPSS version 20 (Statistical Package for Social Sciences version 20). Results: The mean direct cost of treatment was found to be PKR 1714 and mean indirect cost was reported to be PKR 3445. The mean total cost of anti pulmonary TB treatment was PKR 5159. Family income was directly proportional to the average total cost of treatment and indirect costs were observed to be higher than direct costs. Conclusion: To minimize the financial burden of pulmonary tuberculosis on patients in terms of direct and indirect costs, it is important to understand and scrutinize the factors precipitating the ailment and aggravating the consequences.

Keywords: Tuberculosis; Pulmonary Tuberculosis; Direct cost; Financial Burden; Pakistan; Pharmacoeconomics.