Client Awareness and Participation in the Implementation of the National Health Insurance Scheme Benefit Package for Antenatal Care at Lekma Hospital

Abstract

Background: Ghana, introduced the free maternal health care policy in 2008, as part of the reform package in the national health insurance scheme. However, there seem to be lack of awareness and participation among women on the benefit package of this policy. Objective: To assess the client awareness and participation in the implementation of NHIS benefit package for antenatal care services at LEKMA hospital. Methods: The study adopted a cross-sectional study design that used mixed methods approach to gather and analyze the data. A total of 112 pregnant women were selected using a convenience (112) and 3 nurses were selected purposively. Chi square was used to test for the association between the variables and multiple logistic regressions was used to determine the strength of association between dependent and independent variables at a 5% probability level. Manual coding was used to generate themes that resonated with objectives of the study. Results: Free impatient care, free essential drugs, regular antenatal medication and free scan are benefits package of NHIS patients were aware of. However, the poor attitude of health personnel has no influence of implementation of the benefit package of NHIS. Yet, patients that have access to essential drugs potential enjoy the benefit package of NHIS. One of the participants explained why pregnant women are unable to access the full benefit of NHIS that the cost of running laboratory test are higher than the asking price of NHIS while claims take too long to be paid has really gone up and we cannot survive as a lab if we charge what the NHIS is expecting us to charge and also claims take forever to be paid by the NHIS. Conclusion: There is moderately high client awareness and participation in the implementation of NHIS. Yet, from the number of services patients enjoy compared to the number of services NHIS is supposed to provide, pregnant women are not enjoying the full NHIS benefit package.