Awareness and utilisation of ‘patient support systems’ among patients diagnosed with tuberculosis in an urban area - a descriptive study

Abstract

INTRODUCTION: Tuberculosis is a major public health challenge and India has the highest burden of tuberculosis (TB), with a reported incidence of 199 per lakh population in 2022. The National Strategic Plan (NSP) 2017-2025 has articulated the need for “Patient Support Systems” to limit and eliminate out-of-pocket (OOP) expenditures during the treatment, support patient’s nutritional needs through financial incentives and create linkages to other social welfare schemes. To reduce malnutrition among patients suffering from TB, the government of India launched the Nikshay Poshan Yojana, a Direct Benefit Transfer scheme under National Tuberculosis Elimination Program (NTEP) in 2018, offering a monthly incentive of INR 500 to each patient enrolled under the program till they complete their treatment. OBJECTIVES: 1) To assess the awareness and utilisation of ‘Patient support systems’ among patients diagnosed with Tuberculosis registered under the urban TB unit of Belagavi. 2) To assess the treatment outcomes among the TB patients.