Enrolees Perception of the Merits and Demerits of National Health Insurance Scheme in a Nigerian Tertiary Health Facility

Abstract

Background: National health insurance schemes (NHIS) are implemented as part of health reform and as strategies aimed at providing effective and efficient health care for the citizenry. This study sought to determine the merits and demerits of the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) in enrolees assessing care in National Health Insurance Clinic, Federal Medical Center, Asaba, South-South, Nigeria. Materials and Methods: This study was a cross-sectional survey carried out in the National Health Insurance (NHI) Clinic of FMC, Asaba. Simple random sampling was used to recruit respondents into the study. The selected subjects were either principal enrolees or dependants who met the inclusion criteria. Subsequently, the respondents were administered a pretested, well- structured questionnaire by the authors or trained research assistants. Subjects recruited into the study were adult patients aged 18years and above who met the inclusion criteria. Results: A total of 350 respondents were recruited into the study with a mean age of 39.8±9.5years. Majority (60.6%) of the respondents were females and most were resident in Asaba (88.6%). About 99.1% of the respondents felt that the scheme was a good idea/programme and 97.7% of the respondents believed that the scheme has made healthcare more accessible (97.7%) and affordable (96.3%). Furthermore, 99.4% of the respondents agreed that the scheme should be continued and made meaningful recommendations on how to make the scheme more effective. Conclusion: The study showed that 99.1% of the respondents were satisfied with the scheme. However, both the majority that were satisfied and the infinitesimal percentage that were not satisfied, made meaningful recommendations on how the scheme could be improved upon.