THE EVALUATION OF THE EFFECT OF NATIONAL HEALTH INSURANCE SCHEME IN ENHANCING HEALTH CARE DELIVERY

Thesis Overview

INTRODUCTION1.8     BACKGROUND OF THE STUDYHealth insurance is a social security system that guarantees the provision of needed health services to persons on the payment of taken contributions at regular intervals. The first attempt at adopting a health insurance system, Nigeria started in 1962 during the first republic. The federal government invited Dr. Halevi through the international labour organization (120) to look into starting a health insurance system in Lagos. Then minister for health Dr. Majekodunmi also presented the first bill to the parliament. When a committee was commissioned to study the national insurance (Oji, 2003). The health population and indeed work force are indisputable tools for rapid socio-economic and sustainable development the world over. Despite thus indisputable fact, in Nigeria like most Africa countries, the provision of quality accessible and affordable health care remark a serious problem (WHO, 2007, Oba, 2008), thus is because the health sector is permeably face with cross shortage of personnel, inadequate and outdated medical equipment policy inconsistence and corruption. Other factor that impede quality health care delivery IN Enugu include inability of the consume to pay for health services gender bias due to religious or cultural beliefs and inequality in the distribution of health care facilities between urban and rural areas. In 2007 for instance, world health organization (WHO) report on health care delivery ranked Nigeria 187 out of 191 countries than in 2005 only 48 and 35 percent of the children within the age of zero to one year old were fully immunized against tuberculosis and measles respectively between 1998 and 2005, 28 percent of the children with in the ages of 5 years who suffered from diarrhea received and equate treatment.A social health insurance scheme involves contribution base on means and utilization based on need. A health insurance scheme has been define as an arrangement in which contribution are made by or behalf of employees or individual (members) to purchasing institution (a fund) which is responsible for purchasing coursed services from providers or behalf of the members of the scheme (Kutzin) 1997. It is the opinion of Nigeria government that the NHIS will probably provide effective health care services and help to improve accessibility to health care services and help to improve accessibility to health care services (Ibwaye 2007). But the assessment of the programme after four years of operation reveals less than 3% coverage (Ikpong: 2007), and these was as a result of poor implement of the scheme in Nigeria. This research will evaluate the effect of national health insurance in enhancing health care delivery in Enugu.1.9     STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEMThe following are problems that prompted the research of this project work:1.  Failure to understand the significant contribution of effective and efficient national insurance scheme in Enugu.2.  Failure on the part of the Nigeria government to enhance easy accessibility of national health insurance scheme.3.  Poor effective administration and management of the activities and operation of the national health insurance scheme in Enugu.4.  Unawareness of the existence, roles, important benefits and workability of national health insurance scheme.1.10                OBJECTIVE OF THE STUDYThe following are the objectives of the research work:1.  To find out the significant contributions of effective and efficient national insurance scheme in Nigeria.2.  To find out whether the government enhance easy accessibility of the national insurance in Enugu.3.  To examine whether there is any awareness of the existence, roles, important benefits and workability of the business activities of national insurance scheme in Enugu.4.  To find out the problems facing effective and efficient administration and management of national insurance scheme in Enugu.1.11                RESEARCH QUESTIONSThe research question of thus research work include the following:1.  Is there any significant contribution of effective and efficient national health insurance in Enugu?2.  Are there any problem of effective and efficient administration and management of the national health insurance scheme in Nigeria?3.  Does Nigeria government enhancing easy accessibility to national health insurance role, important benefits and work ability of the national health insurance sc