Results
Costs for laboratory investigations, drugs purchased from the private
sector and hired caretakers for hospitalized patients were reported as
direct expenses. Loss of work and other sources of income were the
primary indirect expenses. The impact of such expenses was higher in
patients and families from lower socioeconomic categories, especially
among those who were dependent on a daily income. Health care workers
actively tried to minimize these out-of-pocket expenses, resulting in
choice on investigations, drugs and other interventions often being made
by the clinician and occasionally not being discussed with the patient,
resulting in poor patient satisfaction.