Families Spending Significant Incomes for Seasonal Ailments: Study

Hyderabad: Owing to lack of state-run primary healthcare facilities, families in several urban slum clusters are spending between `500 and `1,000 per visit for routine seasonal ailments, often at private clinics, according to a report by Helping Hand Foundation (HHF). This is leading to recurring out-of-pocket expenditure and financial strain amongst marginalized, the NGO said.

The foundation said its survey of about 1,500 houses in several localities mostly in Old city, found that up to 40 per cent of households reported hypertension, diabetes, and both. The report, released by the foundation’s Mujtaba Hasan Askari, identified access to affordable healthcare as a primary concern for 35 per cent of respondents.

The report also noted a rising trend of reproductive health issues among young women, including PCOS, PCOD, fibroids, and irregular menstrual cycles. Among cancers, head and neck cancers, particularly oral cancer among young men, were found to be prevalent due to high exposure to non-smoked tobacco, gutka, and paan. “Cases of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, chronic kidney disease (CKD), and heart and brain strokes in young and middle-aged individuals are also sharply rising,” Mujtaba added.