Recommended reading
Persistent problems of access to appropriate, affordable TB services in rural China: experiences of different socio-economic groups
Socio-economic disparities and TB control in rural China
Authors:
T. Zhang; S. Tang; G. Jun; M. Whitehead
Publisher:
BMC Public Health, 2007
This paper, published in BMC public health, investigates the receipt of appropriate care and affordability of services for different socio-economic groups with TB symptoms in rural China. Whilst large-scale Tuberculosis (TB) control programmes in China have been hailed a success, concerns remain about whether the programme is reaching all sections of the population, particularly poorer groups within rural communities. The paper finds that: 37 per cent of TB suspects did not seek any professional care, with low-income groups less likely to seek care than more affluent counterparts; of those seeking care, only 35 per cent received any of the recommended diagnostic tests; of the patients diagnosed with TB 57 per cent received treatment at the recommended level. The burden of payment for services amounted to 45 per cent of annual household income for the low-income group, 16 per cent for the high-income group.
Access to appropriate, affordable TB services is still problematic in some rural areas of China, and receipt of care and affordability declines with declining socio-economic position. These findings highlight the current shortcomings of the national TB control programme in China and the formidable challenge it faces if it is to reach all sections of the population, including the poor with the highest burden of disease. [adapted from author]
