The economic costs of home-based directly observed treatment under patient centred tuberculosis treatment in Tanzania

Introduction: understanding the economic costs after the patient-centred tuberculosis treatment (PCT) implementation is crucial. Since the majority of the TB patients opted for home-based directly observed treatment (HB-DOT), there are budget implications for the NTLP and consequences for personal costs for TB patient and treatment supporter. The aim of the study was to estimate the economic costs per HB-DOT patient treated under the PCT strategy in Tanzania from a societal perspective. Methods: we measured costs for tuberculosis (TB) service delivery for both direct and indirect patient and supporter costs using the World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines. Results: the economic costs per patient on the HB-DOT under the PCT strategy in Tanzania from a societal perspective were US$900. The high personal costs were subsidized by the indirect costs for a patient and his/her supporter. On average, more than two-thirds of the average six-month income of an HB-DOT patient has spent on TB related costs. Conclusion: the present study results reveal that the introduction of the HB-DOT resulted in the reduction of service delivery costs incurred by the National Tuberculosis and Leprosy Programme (NTLP) after the PCT implementation. The findings bring comparative advantages in the health system in provision TB services in the country.