The socio-economic burden of expenditure for diabetes mellitus treatment: A cross sectional study

Background: Diabetes mellitus is a chronic disorder, non-curable, only controlled by medicines and /or insulin therapy. The aim of this study was to evaluate the expenditure on diagnoses and treatment of diabetes mellitus patients with economic burden to households. Methodology: We collected data by directly interacting with the pre-informed diabatic patients regarding the duration of diabetes, types of insulin therapy and oral hypoglycemic agent, cost of medicine/month and cost of blood sugar test by glucometer/month. Results: A total of 254 patients were enrolled in the study of which 30.71% (n=78) belongs to upper cost family (UCF), 44.88% (n=114) belongs to middle cost family (MCF), and 24.41% (n=62) belongs to lower cost family (LCF), categorized according to their total score. While studying, it was found that the mean family income (rupees)/month of UCF, MCF and LCF are Rs. 33860.26, Rs. 9326.75 and Rs. 7551.79 respectively. The mean blood sugar test cost (rupees)/month for UCF, MCF and LCF are Rs. 377.44, Rs. 382.89 and Rs. 360.00 respectively. Whereas the mean medicine purchase cost (rupees)/month for UCF, MCF and LCF are Rs. 1004.81, Rs. 784.40 and Rs. 721.79 Respectively. The total cost (rupees)/month for sugar test and purchasing medicine that is taken from their family income are Rs. 1382.24, Rs. 1167.30 and Rs. 1081.79 for UCF, MCF and LCF respectively. We also derived that, the UCF, MCF, LCF spent 1.19%, 2.28%, 4.84% of their monthly income on blood sugar test respectively and spent 3.20%, 4.76%, 9.95% of their monthly income on medicine purchase respectively. The percentage of cost, the UCF, MCF, and LCF has spent on both the blood sugar test and medicine purchase is 4.39%, 7.04%, 14.80% respectively. Conclusion: The urgent need should be arisen for better health care policies for making low or no cost blood glucose monitoring device (alternative to glucometer) with low-cost anti-diabetic medicines by Government, for diabetes management.