Loss of work-related income impoverishes people with SCI and their families in Bangladesh

Abstract

Study design: Cross-sectional study. Objectives: To determine the degree of impoverishment of people with spinal cord injury (SCI) and their families in Bangladesh caused by loss of work-related income following injury. Setting: Spinal cord injury centre, Bangladesh. Methods: A total of 410 wheelchair-dependent people with recent SCI about to be discharged from a hospital in Bangladesh were interviewed to determine the size of their families, their incomes from paid work prior to injury and the incomes of their family members. These data were used to calculate income per family unit and per family member prior to and immediately after injury. Results: Ninety percent of the participants were men, 98% were from rural areas of Bangladesh and 58% were manual labours prior to injury. Median (interquartile range, IQR) family size was 5 (4–6) people. Prior to injury, 74% of participants were the main income earners for their families and 50% provided the only source of income for their families. Participants’ median (IQR) monthly income prior to injury was US$106 (US$60–US$180) per person and family members’ income was US$30 (US$19–US$48) per person. After injury, the median income (IQR) of each family member dropped to US$0 (US$0–US$18) placing 91% of families below the extreme poverty line of US$37.50 per person per month (equivalent to US$1.25 per day). Conclusion: In Bangladesh, SCI have profound financial implications for individuals and their families and causes extreme poverty. This is because those most often injured are young and the main income earners for their families.