Catastrophic Costs among Tuberculosis-Affected Households in Egypt: Magnitude, Cost Drivers, and Coping Strategies

Ramy Mohamed Ghazy, Malik Sallam (), Rasha Ashmawy, Amira Mohamed Elzorkany, Omar Ahmed Reyad, Noha Alaa Hamdy, Heba Khedr and Rasha Ali Mosallam ()
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Ramy Mohamed Ghazy: Tropical Health Department, High Institute of Public Health, Alexandria University, Alexandria 21561, Egypt
Malik Sallam: Department of Pathology, Microbiology and Forensic Medicine, School of Medicine, The University of Jordan, Amman 11942, Jordan
Rasha Ashmawy: Department of Clinical Research, Maamora Chest Hospital, Alexandria 21923, Egypt
Amira Mohamed Elzorkany: Egyptian Ministry of Health and Population, Alexandria 21554, Egypt
Omar Ahmed Reyad: Internal Medicine and Cardiology Clinical Pharmacy Department, Alexandria University Main Hospital, Alexandria 21526, Egypt
Noha Alaa Hamdy: Department of Clinical Pharmacy & Pharmacy Practice, Faculty of Pharmacy, Alexandria University, Alexandria 21521, Egypt
Heba Khedr: MDR-TB Center, Maamora Chest Hospital, Alexandria 21912, Egypt
Rasha Ali Mosallam: Department of Health Administration and Behavioral Science, High Institute of Public Health, Alexandria University, Alexandria 21561, Egypt

IJERPH, 2023, vol. 20, issue 3, 1-14

Abstract: Despite national programs covering the cost of treatment for tuberculosis (TB) in many countries, TB patients still face substantial costs. The end TB strategy, set by the World Health Organization (WHO), calls for “zero” TB households to be affected by catastrophic payments by 2025. This study aimed to measure the catastrophic healthcare payments among TB patients in Egypt, to determine its cost drivers and determinants and to describe the coping strategies. The study utilized an Arabic-validated version of the TB cost tool developed by the WHO for estimating catastrophic healthcare expenditure using the cluster-based sample survey with stratification in seven administrative regions in Alexandria. TB payments were considered catastrophic if the total cost exceeded 20% of the household’s annual income. A total of 276 patients were interviewed: 76.4% were males, 50.0% were in the age group 18–35, and 8.3% had multidrug-resistant TB. Using the human capital approach, 17.0% of households encountered catastrophic costs compared to 59.1% when using the output approach. The cost calculation was carried out using the Egyptian pound converted to the United States dollars based on 2021 currency values. Total TB cost was United States dollars (USD) 280.28 ± 29.9 with a total direct cost of USD 103 ± 10.9 and a total indirect cost of USD 194.15 ± 25.5. The direct medical cost was the main cost driver in the pre-diagnosis period (USD 150.23 ± 26.89 pre diagnosis compared to USD 77.25 ± 9.91 post diagnosis, p = 0.013). The indirect costs (costs due to lost productivity) were the main cost driver in the post-diagnosis period (USD 4.68 ± 1.18 pre diagnosis compared to USD 192.84 ± 25.32 post diagnosis, p < 0.001). The households drew on multiple financial strategies to cope with TB costs where 66.7% borrowed and 25.4% sold household property. About two-thirds lost their jobs and another two-thirds lowered their food intake. Being female, delay in diagnosis and being in the intensive phase were significant predictors of catastrophic payment. Catastrophic costs were high among TB households in Alexandria and showed wide variation according to the method used for indirect cost estimation. The main cost driver before diagnosis was the direct medical costs, while it was the indirect costs, post diagnosis.

Keywords: universal health coverage; patient costs; cost drivers; tuberculosis economics; health care costs; coping strategies (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
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