Out-of-pocket Expenditure on Vaccination against Communicable Diseases of Under-five Children in Chengalpattu, Tamil Nadu

Aarthy  A; Rajesh  Kannan; Vinoth Gnana Chellaiyan  D

Aarthy A Senior Resident, Department of Community Medicine, Srinivasan Medical College & Hospital, Samayapuram, India.
Rajesh Kannan Associate Professor, Department of Community Medicine, Chettinad Hospital & Research Institute, Chettinad Academy of Research and Education, Chengalpattu.
Vinoth Gnana Chellaiyan D Associate Professor, Department of Community Medicine, Chettinad Hospital & Research Institute, Chettinad Academy of Research and Education, Chengalpattu.

Keywords: Vaccination, Out-of-pocket Expenditure, Under-five Children

Abstract

Background: Out-of-pocket expenditure is an important determinant for complete vaccination status against communicable diseases in India.
This study examines the expenditure incurred during the immunisation process as well as the pattern of differences in expenditure between private and public healthcare systems.
Materials & Methods: A cross-sectional study was carried out among the mothers of under-five children residing in the Rural Health Training Centre’s field practising area of a tertiary care hospital in Chengalpattu. Three hundred and seventy-six mothers were selected using cluster sampling. Probabilities proportional to size clusters were chosen. Mothers were selected randomly and interviewed using a pre-validated semi-structured questionnaire. The obtained data were analysed using the SPSS software version 21.0.
Results: Parents who decide to have their child vaccinated in a public health facility are expected to disburse anything from INR 0 to INR 8062.60, or roughly 0.7% to 4.7% of the family’s overall revenue. The
main causes of expenditure were transportation to hospitals and wage losses. Parents may spend between INR 2743.40 and INR 44,742.20, or 4.90% and 11.4% of the overall family income on immunisations for
their kids in private hospitals. The cost of the vaccine appeared as the greatest expense in private health facilities.
Conclusion: In the form of transport and loss of wages, parents indirectly pay for vaccination. The workforce will save their pockets if a child can be vaccinated in hours beyond the working hours of the parents.
Raising public awareness of the provision of vaccines in neighbouring government health centres is a way to reduce transport costs.

How to cite this article:
Aarthy A, Kannan R, Chellaiyan D V G. Outof-pocket Expenditure on Vaccination against Communicable Diseases of Under-five Children in Chengalpattu, Tamil Nadu. J Commun Dis. 2023;55(5):46-50.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.24321/0019.5138.202354

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