TB Patients Suffer High Costs Due To Lost Productivity

New Delhi: Tuberculosis (TB) patients in India are facing catastrophically high costs due to lost productivity and hospitalisation, according to a study by the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR).

The study led by researchers from the ICMR-National Institute of Epidemiology (ICMR-NIE), in Chennai, showed that TB continues to pose a significant social and economic burden to households.

“Persons with TB in India incur high costs mainly due to lost productivity and hospitalisation. Nearly half of them experience catastrophic costs, especially those from poorer economic quintiles,” said the team led by Kathiresan Jeyashree, a scientist at ICMR-NIE.

“Despite free diagnosis and care under the National TB Elimination Programme (NTEP), individuals often experience significant out-of-pocket expenditure and lost productivity, causing financial catastrophe,” he added.