Abstract
BackgroundDespite the creation of the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) by the Nigerian government, most Nigerians are not covered by the scheme.AimThe aim of this study was to assess the knowledge and utilisation of NHIS among adult patients who attended a tertiary health facility in Lagos state, South-Western Nigeria.SettingOutpatient clinic, Lagos State University Teaching Hospital, Ikeja, Lagos.MethodsA descriptive cross-sectional study of 487 respondents recruited using a multi- stage sampling method. Data were collected using pretested semi-structured self-administered questionnaires, and analysis was done using Microsoft Excel 2007 and EPI Info 7 statistical software. Level of significance was set at p < 0.05. Ethical approval was obtained from the Health Research Ethics Committee Lagos State university teaching Hospital.ResultsA total of 487 of the 500 self-administered questionnaires were retrieved and analysed, giving a response rate of 97.4%. The study showed that 80.7% of the respondents had poor knowledge of NHIS, only12.3% of the respondents had registered with the NHIS, and 43.8% of respondents who had not registered with NHIS claimed they do not know where to register. There was a statistically significant association between age and utilisation (p = 0.0007), marital status and utilisation of NHIS (p = 0.016), employment status and utilisation of NHIS (p = 0.001).Most (96%) of those who have utilised NHIS were satisfied with NHIS services.ConclusionMajority of the respondents had poor knowledge of NHIS and also majority of those who had registered were satisfied with the scheme. There should be increased awareness campaigns so that all Nigerians can benefit from the scheme.
Highlights
The National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) is a type of formal sector social health insurance programme.[1]
Majority (96.0%) of those who had utilised the NHIS claimed that they are satisfied with the healthcare services provided by the scheme (Table 3)
More than one-third of the respondents were between 21 and 30 years’ age range with a mean age of 34.1 (12.1 standard deviation [s.d.]). This is in contrast to a similar study conducted in rural southwest of Nigeria where about 69% of the respondents belong to the age range of 24–45 with the mean age of 39 (7.12 s.d.).[4]
Summary
The National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) is a type of formal sector social health insurance programme.[1] In this programme, the cost of health care for an employee is paid for by the contributions of both the employee and the employer, which makes it a social health security system.[1] This is made possible by deductions of 5% of the employee’s salary and 10% of the employer’s salary paid out to the employee on a monthly basis, the whole resources are used to cover the health expenditures of all those enrolled under the scheme.[2] The concept involves that of subsidisation in which the young subsidise for the old, the rich subsidise for the poor and the healthy subsidises for the ill.[2]. Despite the creation of the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) by the Nigerian government, most Nigerians are not covered by the scheme
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