Artisan reactions to National Health Insurance Scheme in Lagos State, Nigeria

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Date
2014
Authors
Akinwale, A.A
Shonuga, A
Olusanya, O
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Abstract
Artisans generally constitute a significant proportion of the Nigerian population with remarkable contributions to development but they face neglect and marginalization in the ongoing implementation of the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS). The scheme was established with Decree 35 of 1999 to ensure that every Nigerian has easy access to good healthcare services at subsidized rates, among other objectives. Failure to reckon artisans in the NHIS will affect the success of the scheme and the declared interest on national development. Therefore, within the ambits of the Health Belief Model and Theory of Planned Behaviour, the present article addresses artisans’ reactions to NHIS in Nigeria. The data used for the study were derived from relevant documents in the library, two focus group discussions and 45 in-depth interviews, involving staff of NHIS, health-care providers (HCP) and artisans in Yaba areas of Lagos State. The findings revealed only a few artisans with expression of knowledge about the NHIS, thereby confirming the culture of limited accessibility to subsidized health services in Nigeria. The majority of the artisans were indifferent to the scheme due to their zero awareness about it. They largely expressed their concerns about health-care system in Nigeria. Community focus is therefore suggested for the success of the NHIS in Nigeria.
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Keywords
Artisans , Health insurance , Public health , Social services
Citation
Artisan reactions to National Health Insurance Scheme in Lagos State, Nigeria (The Journal of Global Health Care Systems) 4 (1)