Cost of managing diabetes can give hypertension to Punjab – Times of India

CHANDIGARH: The direct cost of managing diabetes in Punjab has increased 121%, while its indirect cost has gone up by 17% between 1999 and 2021. The findings of the latest study can help policymakers in healthcare resource planning for a state with high prevalence of this disease.Direct cost refers to the resources used for diagnosis and treatment, while the indirect cost relates to the loss of productive working time of the patient and the caregivers. The study, Cost of diabetes and its complications: results from a STEPS survey in Punjab, India, was done in Majha, Doaba and Malwa regions of the state and to assess the average annual cost of diabetes to assess the total cost of both outpatient and inpatient care.The data analysis shows that the average annual direct cost has increased about 2.5 times, from Rs 15,460 to 34,100 in 22 years, while the indirect cost has risen around 1.2 times, from Rs 3,572 to Rs 4,200 . Out of the 720 respondents from 20 villages and 40 blocks of 10 districts, 54% had a history of diabetes in the family, while 71% were unaware of the type they were diagnosed with. Also, 52% had diabetes-induced complications and 61% of them had microvascular problems (long-term complications that affect small blood vessels), while 39% had macrovascular complications, which include high blood pressure, arterial stiffness and kidney disease.The annual cost of outpatient care was Rs 37,169, of which the direct cost was Rs 35,253 or 95% of the total cost, while the indirect cost was Rs 4,909 or 5% of the total. The highest cost component was medicines, on which the participants had spent Rs 27,797 (which was 80% of the expense), followed by Rs 8,003 for diagnosis, Rs 3,768 for consultation, and Rs 1,854 for transportation. Participants aged below 20 made the highest direct outpatient care expenditure of Rs 52,104, while for inpatient care, respondents in the age group of 60 and above incurred an average annual direct expenditure of Rs 41,482 and an indirect expenditure of Rs 4,818.Pooja Kansra of Punjabs Lovely Professional University and Sumit Oberoi of Punes Symbiosis International University published their research in the latest edition of Global Health Research. To reduce the economic burden of diabetes, they suggested new health policies, public awareness, promotion of generic medicines, and reimbursement of outpatient care expenditure under the Ayushman Bharat Sarbat Sehat Bima Yojana.

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Cost of managing diabetes can give hypertension to Punjab - Times of India