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Table 5 Traditional healer and food costs

From: Tuberculosis and poverty: the contribution of patient costs in sub-Saharan Africa – a systematic review

Author(s) (year)

Country

Cost estimate (I$)

% Annual per-capita income (entire population)

% Annual per-capita income (income-poorest 20% of the population)

Notes

Traditional healer costs

Brouwer, et al. [44]

Malawi

4

2

9a

Weighted mean of traditional healer costs (range I$0- I$28)b

Chard, S. [47]

Uganda

563

188

618c

One study participant reported this cost for a traditional healer

Chard, S. [46]

Uganda

15

5

16c

Mid-point estimate (range I$2-I$10). A few patients in the sample reported to pay roughly I$495

Needham, et al. [58]

Zambia

17

4

25

Average cost to see a traditional healer (median I$7)

Wyss, et al. [68]

Tanzania

13

4

10d

Unit cost to see a traditional healer

Food costs

Aspler, et al. [[41]

Zambia

4

0.78

4

Median food costs (IQR I$1- I$7)

Datiko and Lindtjørn [48]

Ethiopia

14

7

15e

Mean food costs for a community-based DOTS treatment program (sd I$12)

Datiko and Lindtjørn [48]

Ethiopia

36

17

37e

Mean food costs for a health-facility-based DOTS treatment program (sd I$21)

Kemp, et al. [54]

Malawi

7

4

15f

Mean food costs for smear-negative patients (median I$2)

Kemp, et al. [54]

Malawi

10

5

21f

Mean food costs for smear-positive patients (median I$0)

Needham, et al. [58]

Zambia

3

1

5

Mean food cost (median I$2)

Needham, et al. [58]

Zambia

36

9

53

Mean cost for “special” foodsg (median I$19)

  1. a Income share based on 1998 estimates instead of 1995; b43% of patients in the sample who sought care from traditional healers paid no charge, 21% paid under I$0.92, 24% paid between I$0.92 and I$5, 6% paid between I$6 and I$14, and the remaining 6% paid between I$14 and I$28; c Income share based on 1999 estimates instead of 1998; d Income share based on 2000 estimates instead of 1996; e Income share based on 2005 estimates instead of 2006; f Income share based on 1998 estimates instead of 2000; g Defined as food separate from normal diets such as potatoes, eggs, meat, fruit, and soft drinks [58].