Perception of the non-insured persons on the national health insurance scheme: A case study in the Jirapa district

Abstract

Some literature of health insurance indicate that it is a private or public system of protection against the losses owing to medical expenses, or a method of providing for members of a defined group or community with protection against the cost of medical care. The national health insurance scheme has been identified as the more humane, efficient and sustainable means of financing healthcare in low-income countries, especially where a large percentage of the population are in the informal sector. Perceptions of the non-insured members have been examined after five years of implementation of the scheme and 232 respondents were interviewed in five selected area councils in the Jirapa district. Systematic sampling technique was used to determine the sampling units. Data was collected using interview schedule and analysed with statistical package for service solution (SPSS) programme. The results indicated that the youth, whose ages ranged between 18 and 45 years and who were mainly the males were not insured. The study also showed that, due to poverty, most subscribers could not renew their membership or register at all with the scheme. It is recommended that payment of the current premium be made flexible on installment basis and any increase on the premium might eliminate a lot of people since they would not be able to afford. More so, the study showed that there were inadequate doctors, nurses and drugs at the various health facilities which could compromise the quality of health care services and thus contributed to the low membership registration and renewal rate.