Publication:

Assessment of the utilisation of monetary aid and its indicators among patients on anti-tubercular treatment in north India: a cross sectional study

Background A good dietary practices are for plays a crucial role in influencing recovery from tuberculosis and it is a modifiable risk factor. Adequate nutrition is needed for faster recovery along with proper drug absorption and other thermodynamics of drugs besides adherence to drug treatment. It helps in better weight gain besides others benefits. So, the government of India started Nikshay Poshan Yojana (NPY) and providing monetary aid in form of Direct Benefit Transfer since March 2018 for patients. As there are very few studies which have tried to analyze and explore the effect of direct monetary benefits in many schemes. Aim and objectives of current study was to assess monetary support indicators and its utilization among TB patients.

Methods A cross-sectional study was conducted where the patients were taken using sequential sampling from Designated Microscopic Centers from January 2020 to December 2021. Data was analyzed using SPSS 20.0 and results were presented in tabular form.

Results Approximately 63.9% patients received Direct Benefit Transfer money. Approximately 69.5% of those who received money used it. However, no significant association ascertained between DBT money used and under-nutrition.

Conclusions Knowledge about TB and DBT should be provided through already existing ICT tool. Purpose of DBT money should be stressed at initiation of treatment to eliminate TB by 2025 as envisioned under National TB elimination program.