Study calls for a policy to protect informal workers with TB from the impact of pandemic lockdown

Income loss for households and poor restoration of income after the lockdown will likely have an impact on the nutrition of TB patients and families, according to the study conducted by a Delhi-based institute

If India wished to eliminate tuberculosis, then it must prioritise policies to protect informal sector workers from economic consequences of pandemic-induced restrictions, according to researchers of a Delhi-based institute. A policy that ensures paid sick leave, additional food support and direct benefit transfer to such workers is necessary to ensure their wellbeing.

The researchers’ suggestions follows a study of workers under treatment for tuberculosis in the informal sector prior to and during/after the COVID-19 pandemic. The study has referred to multiple surveys done by various other researchers across the country.

The researchers from George Institute for Global Health said they had interviewed persons with tuberculosis in the general population and from high-risk group and patients from tea plantations during lock down and three and eight months after the lock down was lifted.

Their study found that 26% of households with TB patients in tea garden areas and 51% of households in the general population had no monthly income during the lockdown in April-May 2020 and their overall income loss recovered slowly during July-August that year.

In their interviews, the researchers found that around 7% of the patients in the general population and 4% of those in tea garden areas discontinued their TB medicines during lockdown.

Fewer persons discontinued in tea gardens areas, the researchers concluded. Further, “for both groups of patients, the reasons for medicine discontinuation were either that the TB medicines were not available at the facilities or that they could not travel because of strict restrictions,” they said.