National Health Insurance Scheme and Healthcare Administration in Nigeria: An Assessment

The study National Health Insurance Scheme and healthcare administration in Nigeria was undertaken to assess the outcome of the activities of National Health Insurance Scheme among employees who enrolled in the scheme. The study also aimed at assessing the level of healthcare services delivered to the enrollees of the scheme as well as the level of satisfaction derived by the enrollees from healthcare services provided by the scheme, and to determine the extent to which National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) has promoted equal access to healthcare facilities in the country. The study was anchored on Samuel Stouffers Relative Deprivation Theory of 1949. The study adopted a descriptive survey design. Findings from the study revealed that the level of healthcare services to the beneficiaries of National Health Insurance Scheme in Nigeria is low. It also revealed that a greater number of the enrollees are not satisfied with the quality of healthcare services provided by the scheme. The study also found out that NHIS has not promoted equal access to healthcare facilities among enrollees in the country. However, dissatisfaction was more with the amenities, referral system, awareness creation, coverage, negligence in the provision of services by the operators of the scheme, non-availability of required drugs, poor funding of the scheme, unequal distribution of healthcare services to the beneficiaries among other factors. The implication is that the scheme is yet to achieve the basic purpose of its establishment of ensuring universal provision of healthcare services to majority of Nigerians and to reduce out- of- pocket expenditure for healthcare services for Nigerians. The study therefore recommended that since funds are drawn for the purpose of reducing out-of-pocket expenditure, the scheme should be overhauled in order to identify and curtail funds diversion to increase the basic provision of healthcare goods and services. The study also recommended that an effective consumer protection authority should be established, not just for NHIS consumers but for all healthcare consumers in the country to enable healthcare providers to know that they are actually dealing with irreplaceable lives and that the quality of healthcare should as well be borne in mind to prevent the consumption of sub-standard goods and services through the scheme.