Utilization of Primary Health Care Under National Health Insurance in Samarinda Municipality, East Kalimantan Province, Indonesia

Abstract

Dewi Astuti,1 Sukhontha Kongsin,2 Sukhum Jiamton,3 Phusit Prakongsai,4 Scott Robert Hearnden5 1Faculty of Public Health, Mahidol University, Bangkok, Thailand; 2Department of Public Health Administration, Faculty of Public Health, Mahidol University, Bangkok, Thailand; 3Department of Dermatology, Faculty of Medicine Siriraj Hospital, Mahidol University, Bangkok, Thailand; 4Department of Community Medicine, Faculty of Medicine Ramathibodi Hospital, Mahidol University, Bangkok, Thailand; 5Department of Social and Political Sciences (Peace and Conflict Studies), Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, University of Sydney, Camperdown (Sydney), NSW, AustraliaCorrespondence: Sukhontha Kongsin, Email [email protected]; [email protected]: In Indonesia, basic community health services are provided to all citizens through Primary Health Care (PHC) settings under the National Health Insurance (NHI) scheme. The insurance is compulsory and provides basic community health needs. Based on a gatekeeper concept, the PHC is deemed to be the first contact point for all basic healthcare needs. Despite the commencement of services through PHC settings in 2014 under this concept, utilization in PHC settings remains lower than in hospital settings. This study aimed to assess factors associated with utilization of PHC under National Health Insurance in Samarinda Municipality, East Kalimantan Province, Indonesia.Materials and Methods: The research examined the utilization of services over six months. It employed a cross-sectional method and included 382 NHI participants in 10 districts of Samarinda Municipality. Each district was divided into urban and semi-urban areas based upon local government indicators representing the whole research area. A two-stage random sampling and purposive sampling approach was implemented to select the sample. The participants were interviewed using a structured questionnaire. Chi-square and multiple logistic regressions were conducted to determine the impact of factors on the utilization of PHC.Results: Only 17.3% of participants used PHC services regularly. Three constitutive factors, type of NHI participants (Adj. OR: 2.62; p< 0.005), accommodation (Adj. OR: 2.18; p< 0.005) and awareness (Adj. OR: 3.27; p< 0.005) most profoundly influenced the under-utilization of PHC by NHI participants.Conclusion: The study found that the type of NHI participant and the utilization factors of accommodation and awareness significantly influenced the degree of utilization of PHC facilities by NHI participants and that the differences arose from variations in knowledge and experience. Strengthening these factors will rely upon an expanded role of government and community collaboration, emphasizing the needs of NHI participants.Keywords: Indonesia, National Health Insurance, primary health care, utilization

Keywords

• indonesia
• national health insurance
• primary health care
• utilization