Is convenience really king? Comparative evaluation of catastrophic costs due to tuberculosis in the public and private healthcare sectors of Viet Nam: a longitudinal patient cost study.

BACKGROUND: In Viet Nam, tuberculosis (TB) represents a devastating life-event with an exorbitant price tag, partly due to lost income from daily directly observed therapy in public sector care. Thus, persons with TB may seek care in the private sector for its flexibility, convenience, and privacy. Our study aimed to measure income changes, costs and catastrophic cost incurrence among TB-affected households in the public and private sector. METHODS: Between October 2020 and March 2022, we conducted 110 longitudinal patient cost interviews, among 50 patients privately treated for TB and 60 TB patients treated by the National TB Program (NTP) in Ha Noi, Hai Phong and Ho Chi Minh City, Viet Nam. Using a local adaptation of the WHO TB patient cost survey tool, participants were interviewed during the intensive phase, continuation phase and post-treatment. We compared income levels, direct and indirect treatment costs, catastrophic costs using Wilcoxon rank-sum and chi-squared tests and associated risk factors between the two cohorts using multivariate regression. RESULTS: The pre-treatment median monthly household income was significantly higher in the private sector versus NTP cohort (USD 868 vs USD 578; P = 0.010). However, private sector treatment was also significantly costlier (USD 2075 vs USD 1313; P = 0.005), driven by direct medical costs which were 4.6 times higher than costs reported by NTP participants (USD 754 vs USD 164; P < 0.001). This resulted in no significant difference in catastrophic costs between the two cohorts (Private: 55% vs NTP: 52%; P = 0.675). Factors associated with catastrophic cost included being a single-person household [adjusted odds ratio (aOR = 13.71; 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.36-138.14; P = 0.026], unemployment during treatment (aOR = 10.86; 95% CI: 2.64-44.60; P < 0.001) and experiencing TB-related stigma (aOR = 37.90; 95% CI: 1.72-831.73; P = 0.021). CONCLUSIONS: Persons with TB in Viet Nam face similarly high risk of catastrophic costs whether treated in the public or private sector. Patient costs could be reduced through expanded insurance reimbursement to minimize direct medical costs in the private sector, use of remote monitoring and multi-week/month dosing strategies to avert economic costs in the public sector and greater access to social protection mechanism in general.

Ensuring Continuity of Tuberculosis Care during Social Distancing through Integrated Active Case Finding at COVID-19 Vaccination Events in Vietnam: A Cohort Study.

COVID-19 significantly disrupted tuberculosis (TB) services in Vietnam. In response, the National TB Program (NTP) integrated TB screening using mobile chest X-rays into COVID-19 vaccination events. This prospective cohort study evaluated the integrated model's yield, treatment outcomes, and costs. We further fitted regressions to identify risk factors and conduct interrupted time-series analyses in the study area, Vietnam's eight economic regions, and at the national level. At 115 events, we conducted 48,758 X-ray screens and detected 174 individuals with TB. We linked 89.7% to care, while 92.9% successfully completed treatment. The mean costs per person diagnosed with TB was $547. TB risk factors included male sex (aOR = 6.44, p < 0.001), age of 45-59 years (aOR = 1.81, p = 0.006) and ≥60 years (aOR = 1.99, p = 0.002), a history of TB (aOR = 7.96, p < 0.001), prior exposure to TB (aOR = 3.90, p = 0.001), and symptomatic presentation (aOR = 2.75, p < 0.001). There was a significant decline in TB notifications during the Delta wave and significant increases immediately after lockdowns were lifted (IRR(γ1) = 5.00; 95%CI: (2.86, 8.73); p < 0.001) with a continuous upward trend thereafter (IRR(γ2) = 1.39; 95%CI: (1.22, 1.38); p < 0.001). Similar patterns were observed at the national level and in all regions but the northeast region. The NTP's swift actions and policy decisions ensured continuity of care and led to the rapid recovery of TB notifications, which may serve as blueprint for future pandemics.

Chronic Pulmonary Aspergillosis Situation among Post Tuberculosis Patients in Vietnam: An Observational Study.

This study provides a brief view of chronic pulmonary aspergillosis (CPA) in the post-tuberculosis treatment community in Vietnam, a high burden tuberculosis (TB) country. In three months in late 2019, 70 post-TB patients managed at Vietnam National Lung Hospital were enrolled. Of these, 38 (54.3%) had CPA. The male/female ratio was 3/1 (28 males and ten females). CPA patients had a mean age of 59 ± 2.3 years (95%CI 54.4-63.6). The mean Body mass index (BMI) was 19.0 ± 0.5 (18.0-20.0) and 16 of 38 (42.1%) patients had concurrent diseases, the most common of which were chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and diabetes. Twenty-six patients (68.4%) developed hemoptysis, 21 (55.3%) breathlessness, and weight loss was seen in 30 (78.9%). Anaemia was seen in 15 (39.5%) and 27 of 38 (71.1%) patients had an elevated C-reactive protein (CRP). The most common radiological findings were multiple cavities (52.6%) and pleural thickening (42.7%), followed by aspergilloma (29.0%) and non-specific infiltrates. There were five of 38 patients (13.2%) with a cavity containing a fungal ball on the chest X-ray, but when the high resolution computed tomography (HRCT) was examined, the number of patients with fungal balls rose to 11 (28.9%). Overall, 34 of 38 (89.5%) cases had an elevated Aspergillus IgG with an optical density ≥ 1, and in 2 cases, it was 0.9-1.0 (5%), borderline positive. In nine patients (23.7%) Aspergillus fumigatus was cultured from sputum. CPA is an under-recognised problem in Vietnam and other high burden TB countries, requiring a different diagnostic approach and treatment and careful management. HRCT and Aspergillus IgG serum test are recommended as initial diagnostic tools for CPA diagnosis.