Out-of-pocket spending on hypertension and diabetes among patients reporting in a health -care teaching institute of the Western Rajasthan.

Background: Across the globe, morbidity and mortality due to non-communicable diseases (NCDs) are major public health issues. The resulting concern is not just epidemiological but also about the economic consequences at the household level.

Objective: To assess the various facets of out-of-pocket spending (OOPs) incurring on NCDs, namely hypertension and diabetes on patients attending a healthcare teaching institute in Rajasthan.

Methodology: This cross-sectional study involves patients older than 18 years attending either out-patient clinics or who were admitted in the wards in a healthcare teaching institute for seeking care for diabetes or hypertension. Four hundred patients were chosen purposively and a pretested questionnaire was used to elicit information on incurring OOPs for NCDs. Descriptive statistics (like percentage, mean, median, and standard deviation) were calculated.

Results: The study shows a significant expenditure other than out-patient, in-patient admissions, in the form of personal expenditure and loss of employment, amounting to 31.86 and 34.07%, respectively, of the mean total expenditure. In a quarter (3 months), the mean total expenditure is ₹ 9014.37 ± 6452.37. On average, the OOP expenditure per visit for an out-patient visit was ₹370.54 ± 237, while for the patients admitted to the hospital, the average OOPs was ₹1564.72 ± 1310.5.

Conclusions: Health expenditures can contribute toward the impoverishment of many segments of the community. Undoubtedly, numerous people may tend to neglect the needed care for NCDs due to financial hurdles. Thus, there is a need to develop NCD care management centers with health insurance packages and make them accessible for all.