Evaluation of the Performance and Challenges of the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) in Nigeria (2004 – 2021)

Abstract

National health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) is a health care policy that was launched by the Federal Government of Nigeria in 2005 for better healthcare delivery to the public. The policy aims at increasing effective healthcare coverage of the Nigerian population.  The objective of this study is to evaluate the National Health Insurance Policy in Nigeria from inception to date with a view to determining the effectiveness of the policy. Specifically, the study observes the performance and challenges of the policy. It was observed that, though the implementation of the policy receives appreciable momentum and efforts by the NHIS implementation agency, there is still a wide gap in terms of public participation and effectiveness. Public participation in the scheme since inception in the country to date is below 10% of the Nigeria’s population. This implied that the objective of achieving full coverage in the country is still very far from been achieved. The study identified delay in payment to health facilities by Health Maintenance Organizations (HMOs), inadequate public awareness, public apathy, poor management, rural exclusion, lack of standard facilities, Inadequate medical personnel and poor services as some of the banes of the scheme. Recommendations offered for addressing these barriers include public awareness campaign, personnel training and rural inclusion and focus on best practices and quality assurance. The scope of the study covers Nigeria Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) with specific regards to its performance and challenges between from 2004 to 2021. The study used a descriptive qualitative analysis methodology. Data were obtained from secondary sources including publications, journals, relevant literature and internet sources.

Keywords: Public, Healthcare, Insurance, Policy, Coverage, Implementation, Performance