Abstract
Background:
Awareness and knowledge can play key roles in influencing the utilization of health insurance programs in Nigeria.
Objectives:
This study aims to investigate the awareness and use of the Tertiary Institutions/Voluntary Participant Social Health Insurance Program (TISHIP) for undergraduate dental services.
Materials and Methods:
A cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted in the Enugu Campus of the University of Nigeria and the study population comprised full-time undergraduate students of the institution with a total sample size of 400.
Results:
Majority (66.7%) of the respondents were aware of the TISHIP, but 37% were aware that it covered dental treatments, and 16.1% had received dental treatment under TISHIP. Fifty point eight percent (50.8%) of the respondents were not registered under the insurance program. The reason respondents had not registered was because majority (49.7%) were not aware of the compulsory registration into the scheme. Respondents agreed that TISHIP would promote equity in healthcare delivery (57.5%), promote improved health facilities (39.4%), and 52.5% were willing to participate in the scheme while 47.9% were undecided on whether TISHIP was worth the financial contribution. Presumed high cost of dental treatment (51.9%) and non-availability of materials for dental treatment at dental facilities (50.8%) were factors that affected the utilization of TISHIP (P < 0.05).
Conclusion:
Despite the positive effect of TISHIP in cushioning the cost of dental care, utilization is poor, thus there is a need to scale up awareness among the students’ population.
Awareness and knowledge can play key roles in influencing the utilization of health insurance programs in Nigeria.
Objectives:
This study aims to investigate the awareness and use of the Tertiary Institutions/Voluntary Participant Social Health Insurance Program (TISHIP) for undergraduate dental services.
Materials and Methods:
A cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted in the Enugu Campus of the University of Nigeria and the study population comprised full-time undergraduate students of the institution with a total sample size of 400.
Results:
Majority (66.7%) of the respondents were aware of the TISHIP, but 37% were aware that it covered dental treatments, and 16.1% had received dental treatment under TISHIP. Fifty point eight percent (50.8%) of the respondents were not registered under the insurance program. The reason respondents had not registered was because majority (49.7%) were not aware of the compulsory registration into the scheme. Respondents agreed that TISHIP would promote equity in healthcare delivery (57.5%), promote improved health facilities (39.4%), and 52.5% were willing to participate in the scheme while 47.9% were undecided on whether TISHIP was worth the financial contribution. Presumed high cost of dental treatment (51.9%) and non-availability of materials for dental treatment at dental facilities (50.8%) were factors that affected the utilization of TISHIP (P < 0.05).
Conclusion:
Despite the positive effect of TISHIP in cushioning the cost of dental care, utilization is poor, thus there is a need to scale up awareness among the students’ population.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 337-343 |
| Number of pages | 7 |
| Journal | International Journal of Medicine and Health Development |
| Volume | 27 |
| Issue number | 4 |
| Early online date | 22 Sept 2022 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - Oct 2022 |