A Qualitative Study on Socio-economic Impacts of Tuberculosis: A Case Study of District Multan, Pakistan

The study was executed to know the sociology-economic impacts of TB on patients and their families in rural areas of district Multan, Pakistan. It was a qualitative research conducted from February to September 2018. The data was collected through In-depth Interviews (IDIs) with 30 TB patients (aged ≥ 16 years) using an open-ended interview guide and five focus group discussions with the medical personnel who were dealing with TB. Thematic analysis was carried out to analyze data. The study resulted in the majority of TB patients and their family members being illiterate or less educated. Being unfamiliar with TB, its prevention, and treatment protocol, the majority of respondents were under great stress. They were facing various socioeconomic issues like deaths, denial in marriage proposals,divorce/separation, hatred, social isolation, social stigma, and increased economic burden due to long treatment duration. To resolve this life-threatening issue, awareness was found inevitable.