Treatment Seeking Behaviour of Tuberculosis Among Boro Tribe in India

Abstract

The aim of present paper is to understand the treatment seeking behaviour and cost of tuberculosis treatment among Boro tribe. Data for the present study have been collected from 102 Boro Tribe Households in Kokrajhar District of Assam through both quantitative and qualitative techniques. It has been found that total of 12 individuals are suffering from tuberculosis in the study village, whereas 9 cases are defaulters, 7 have been cured and 2 have died. It should be noted that, irrespective of their social status and economic condition, once they know that they are suffering from tuberculosis, they never go to traditional healer. Most of the current tuberculosis patients go to other state for treatment for about 120KM because of inadequate infrastructure and poor accessibility of district tuberculosis Centre. Patients cannot complete the full course of medicine, mainly due to the financial constraints. Then, what happen to district tuberculosis Centre? Which is supposed to provide free service and medicine? Officials of the district tuberculosis Centre admits that many a times medicine is not available, staffs are not much competent to carry out certain test like sputum test and no facility thereof.