Awareness and perception of public/civil servants toward the National Health Insurance Scheme in Minna, Niger State, Nigeria

Abstract

Background: Nigeria’s healthcare system has been characterized by a decline in healthcare service providers due to the inability of governments to adequately fund healthcare services over the years. Thus, this study aims to assess the knowledge and perception among public/civil servants toward the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) in Minna, Niger State, Nigeria. Materials and Methods: The study was conducted using mixed qualitative and quantitative research methods. The study employed a descriptive research design that is also comparative. Data were collected using questionnaires and presented and analyzed using IBM-SPSS version 25.0 for Windows with the help of tables and graphs. Results: Most respondents were aware of the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS), but there was an overall unimpressive perception of NHIS funding, cost, and coverage. Age, gender, marital status, education, and grade level were not considerably associated with knowledge of NHIS (P > 0.05), but those spending more than 5000.00 Nigerian Naira (NGN) monthly on medical bills were more aware of NHIS than those paying ≤2000 (P 0.05) but was significantly associated with age. Conclusion: The study concluded that there is a high awareness of NHIS among the study respondents, although not all had in-depth knowledge of the operations of the health insurance scheme. More efforts are required to increase awareness of NHIS and its benefits among public/civil servants in Minna, Niger State, Nigeria, to improve participation in the scheme.

Keywords

• healthcare
• knowledge
• national health insurance
• perception