Hyderabad: The financial burden of healthcare in Telangana extends beyond hospital bills, with National Statistics Office (NSO) data highlighting the additional costs families incur when they have to travel for specialised medical treatment.
According to the NSO’s 80th Round survey on household social consumption and health, the average medical expenditure per hospitalisation case, excluding childbirth, in public and private facilities combined in Telangana stands at Rs 52,743.
The expenditure covers costs associated with hospitalisation, including diagnostics, medicines and other medical requirements. For low- and middle-income households, a major hospitalisation can place significant pressure on household finances, particularly when specialised treatment requires travel to larger healthcare centres.
Hyderabad is a major destination for patients from across Telangana because several specialised and advanced healthcare services are concentrated in the city. Patients from rural districts may therefore face additional expenses for transportation, accommodation, food and other requirements during treatment.
The financial burden is further highlighted by the NSO’s Domestic Tourism Expenditure Survey. Medical and health-related travel was the costliest category of domestic overnight travel in India, with households spending an average of Rs 32,167 per trip.
Rural households spent an average Rs 29,454 per medical-related overnight trip, compared with Rs 41,649 for urban households.
Health and medical trips accounted for 29.6 per cent of all overnight trips recorded during the survey period. The data also indicates that rural households undertake medical-related overnight travel more frequently, with 49 trips per 100 tourist households, compared with 22 trips per 100 households in urban areas.
For families travelling from districts to Hyderabad or other cities for treatment, these expenses can include bus or private vehicle fares, accommodation, meals and other costs for accompanying family members.
The figures underline how the overall cost of accessing healthcare can extend well beyond the hospital bill, particularly for patients who need specialised treatment away from their home districts. For families with limited savings, repeated medical travel and hospitalisation expenses can add substantially to the financial pressure associated with illness.
