The average monthly income loss due to tuberculosis (TB) is around P9,000 to P10,000, according to the Department of Health (DOH).

Despite being preventable and curable, TB continues to claim the lives of thousands of Filipinos each year due to stigma and barriers to access and care, DOH Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire said in her speech during the launch of the i-DOTS Center at The Medical City in Ortigas, Pasig, on Monday.

"The Philippines remains one of just five countries that account for more than half, or 56 percent, of all estimated global TB cases," Vergeire continued, noting that the country is included in the World Health Organization's Global TB Watchlist.

"Our statistics are deeply troubling. We've seen a 46 percent increase in TB deaths from 2015 to 2022, seven percent of TB cases affect children aged zero to 14 years old," she added.

Sixty-one percent of TB cases in the Philippines affect males aged 15 and above, 32 percent of females aged 15 years and above, and seven percent of children aged zero to 14 years old.

'TB as an economic catastrophe'

Vergeire recognized TB as not just a medical condition, but also an "economic catastrophe" for almost half of the country's affected households.

The Health official emphasized that almost 42 percent of Filipino TB patients are already poor before diagnosis.

"This disease primarily affects the poor as poverty exposes individuals to risk factors related to TB such as poor nutrition, living in crowded and poorly ventilated environments, smoking, drug and alcohol abuse, HIV, and diabetes," she noted.

"Once they catch TB, especially the poor, they suffer more because they get deeper in debt and their spending on medical care is more than just their basic needs," she added.

Based on the 2016 National TB Prevalence Survey, among those with TB symptoms, only two out of 10 consulted healthcare workers; the other four went for self-medication; and nearly half, or four out of 10, took no action at all.

Public-private partnership

The total financial burden of inpatient TB treatment from 2017 to 2024 reached P2.85 billion, with government facilities accounting for about 63.5 percent, or P1.8 billion.

Further, 2024 data showed that the public sector maintained a 92 percent success rate, while the private sector improved significantly to 54 percent, up from just 24 percent in 2022.

"It's still a long way, but we can still improve. Still, we commend our private institutions for helping the public sector in our fight against TB," Vergeire said.

"While we have made significant strides, how can we close this gap completely? The significant impact of TB underscores the need for a mix of different strategies, including public-private sectoral efforts to address this public health concern effectively," she added.

From 2004 to 2008, the Philippines saw significant results from early private sector support, successfully treating at least 36,870 TB cases of all types that initiated treatment, of which 15,892 were new smear-positive cases.

"We can't do this without them. That's what we always say. So I think this kind of togetherness should be part of our main objectives in the long run, so that we can effectively address our TB situation in our country," Vergeire stressed.

From 2022 to 2023, Vergeire said the Philippines "moderated" its upward trend in TB incidents and mortality rates with the help of the private sector.

"We want to bring [quality healthcare] services closer to our communities."