Addressing financial burden due to TB

Falling ill with TB often carries a devastating financial burden with social repercussions. Although basic TB services are available free of charge in almost all countries, TB patients continue to suffer from a heavy financial burden. Generally, TB patients in low- and middle-income countries face medical expenses, costs of seeking and staying in care, and income loss equivalent to more than 50% of annual income. Loss of income and direct expenses trigger a downward spiral whereby the patient is less able to complete treatment, more likely to have repeat episodes, and more likely to develop drug resistance resulting in more expensive and arduous treatment.

Recognizing the need to address the financial barriers of access to TB services, WHO’s End TB Strategy sets the global target of “no TB-affected families experience catastrophic cost due to TB”. Implementing a national survey to measure the TB patient cost is the critical first step for countries to understand the magnitude of the financial burden faced by TB-affected households and to explore policy options for mitigation strategies. WHO Western Pacific Regional Office provides technical support to countries in planning and implementing the survey. Several countries in the Western Pacific Region have conducted their first survey by 2025 and their preliminary findings confirmed that approximately 34–92% of TB-affected families face catastrophic costs due to TB.