Abstract
BACKGROUND: Out-of-pocket expenditure (OOPE) for inpatient care has been known to cause maximum impoverishment. It can have debilitating consequences for urban poor households. It is necessary to study inpatient care costs and the related factors among the households of an urban village to determine their vulnerability to catastrophic expenditure and to protect them from it. OBJECTIVE: The study aimed to calculate the mean OOPE on inpatient care, and catastrophic health expenditure among households of an urban village in Delhi. DESIGN: This was a cross-sectional study conducted over 18 months among urban village households of Delhi who have been residing for the last 1 year. METHODS: A sample size of 188 was calculated based on another study, and households were selected using systematic random sampling. A pre-designed, pre-tested, semi-structured, and interviewer-administered questionnaire in Hindi was used to elicit and record relevant information. Data were recorded and coded, and analysis was done using licensed SPSS v.26 software. Tables were generated for relevant data, and cross-tables were used to assess statistical association with chi-square or Fisher exact tests, as required. A p-value of 0.05 was considered statistically significant. RESULTS: The mean annual OOPE borne by a household on inpatient care was INR 6870.3 (SD ± 30,580.6), where 93.3% of OOPE was incurred while seeking treatment from public facilities. The OOPE on inpatient care had a statistically significant association with households having joint family, members from vulnerable population, and belonging to Delhi. CONCLUSION: The households of an urban village of Aliganj, Delhi, have high OOPE on inpatient care (60.6%) and catastrophic health expenditure (75.6%).