Aging & Social Change: Fourteenth Interdisciplinary Conference

Abstract

The rising geriatric population and the increased susceptibility of this age group to cancer, one of the causes of the highest death, is bothersome for India. This study explores the patient profile and treatment expenditure burden between the elderly (aged 60 years and above) and non-elderly cancer (<60 years) patients from a tertiary hospital in Mumbai. We have selected a sample of 400 patients, representing approximately 18 percent of the overall gastrointestinal cancer patients of Tata Memorial Hospital (TMH), India’s largest cancer hospital in Mumbai. The study got Ethical clearance from Tata Memorial Hospital and the International Institute for Population Sciences. The results show that 40 percentage patients are 60+. Treatment cost is higher for II (₹509,515) and III (₹430,920) stage stomach cancer patients, same as pancreatic cancer (₹434,370, ₹496,565). The mean medical and OOP costs for pancreatic and stomach cancer patients are nearly (₹325,862, ₹175,225) and (₹315,595, ₹165,215). The mean expenditure of elderly (₹438181) is higher than non-elderly (₹356875). The mean reimbursement by health insurance in the elderly (₹167,690) is higher than non-elderly (₹120,123). With this, the trust expenditure is also high in the elderly (₹57389) compared to the non-elderly (₹40115). Use of social security is higher for the elderly (60 percent) compared to the non-elderly (45 percent). The treatment expenditure is higher for cancer patients than medical expenditure, the indirect cost is higher. Our study suggests wider coverage of health insurance as well as a higher cap on insurance packages, especially for the elderly age group.