PROBLEMS OF A TB PATIENT AND HIS FAMILY DURING THE PERIOD OF THE ECONOMIC CRISIS

Aim - to identify the main social and medical problems of a patient with tuberculosis (TB) and his family that are connected with the economic changes in the country. Materials and methods. We conducted a solid sociological study involving 200 new TB cases during hospital treatment. The analysis of the obtained data was performed. Results. Only one third of the patients were married, even fewer were officially employed. About half of the patients had unrecorded employment, which caused some problems. These patients showed decreased motivation for long-term hospital and sanatorium treatment, as they were afraid of losing their jobs. For the majority of the patients, their professional activity is associated or was associated with unfavourable factors. Some of the respondents blamed their employers for the onset of the disease. The main reason of dissatisfaction of the patients was carelessness of health workers. Furthermore, every third patient with tuberculosis demanded from the phthisiatrician to recognize a disability category in order to improve their financial situation. Conclusion. Changes in the labour legislation have caused the emergence of private organizations that do not comply with requirements for protection of employees, which can affect their health.

tuberculosis, family, social aspects, crisis