About 45% of households with tuberculosis patients suffered catastrophic costs – defined here as expenditure that is more than 20% of annual household income, a new published this week in the journal Global Health Research and Policy showed. The poorest households, and those who are hospitalised were most likely to suffer these catastrophic costs.

The study was conducted by the Indian Council of Medical Research’s National Institute of Epidemiology – ICMR-NIE. Jeyashree Kathiresan, the chief investigator and scientist with National Institute of Epidemiology, said while other studies – such as and – had also estimated out-of-pocket expenditure in TB care, their study has a nationally representative estimate. She added that the study has also been done after key strategies were implemented for TB diagnosis and care such as active case-finding and Nikshay Poshan Yojana, where a patient is to get Rs 1,000 a month as nutrition support for the duration of treatment, among others.

“Our key finding is that households continue to experience catastrophic TB costs as of 2022 and with the newer incentives and schemes coming up, this provides a baseline to measure the effectiveness of these schemes in the future,” said Kathiresan, in an email interview. Overall, 1,407 patients in 11 states and Union...