Patient costs for drug-resistant TB diagnosis and pre-treatment evaluation in North India

INTRODUCTION: India's National TB Elimination Programme (NTEP) aims to eliminate TB-related catastrophic expenditure by offering free diagnosis and treatment. However, 3.9% of TB patients have drug-resistant TB (DR-TB) and are facing higher costs. OBJECTIVE: To assess DR-TB patients' diagnosis and pre-treatment evaluation costs, catastrophic cost incidence, and its relation to patient characteristics. METHODS: The study included DR-TB patients from three District Drug-Resistant TB Centres in Delhi and Faridabad (October 2021-June 2022). Socio-economic and clinical characteristics and direct medical and non-medical costs from drug susceptibility testing eligibility to the start of DR-TB treatment were collected using patient interviews and records. Indirect costs were calculated via the human capital approach, defining catastrophic costs as expenses over 20% of household annual income. Multivariable regression was used to estimate the effects of patient characteristics on catastrophic costs. RESULTS: Of 158 patients, 37.3% were aged 19-30 years, and 55.7% were women. Median total cost was USD326.6 (IQR 132.7-666.7), with 48.2% for diagnosis and 66.0% indirect. 32% faced catastrophic costs, with manual labourers at higher risk (adjusted OR 4.4). CONCLUSION: Despite free diagnosis and treatment, a significant portion of DR-TB households in India incur catastrophic costs, mainly from indirect expenses, indicating a need for targeted policy and programme interventions.