Examining The Experiences Of The Insured And Noninsured Of The Nhis In The Accessibility And Utilization Of Health Care In Tema,Ghana

The National Health Insurance Scheme was introduced in 2003 in order to make health-care affordable for everyone.Its implementation has had a significant impact on the health-care system in Ghana and has influenced health seeking behaviour.The main aim of this study is to analyze the impact of the NHIS in its attempt to ensure Ghanaians can access quality and affordable health-care,and to compare the experiences of the insured and non-insured.This study applies the mixed method approach.A structured questionnaire was used in collecting data and 170 respondents participated.The study focuses on CJ Medical Centre,Sakumono Hospital and Tema General Hospital all in Tema,Ghana.The data was analyzed with the help of color coding themes and t-test in SPSS.The findings show that enrolling on the NHIS enhances accessibility to health-care in general.The insured enjoy a wide range of medical benefits which include free maternal health,free medical treatment for kids below 18 and free consultation.However,the non-insured are more likely to be attended to first if they have cash,health staff are also more friendly to the noninsured as compared to those who have insurance.This and other factors like the lack of extensive coverage of the NHIS and high premiums deter some people from enrolling on the NHIS.Recommendations include authorities ensuring claims are settled promptly,expansion of number of drugs and conditions covered by the NHIS,reduction in premiums and measures to ensure health workers are not biased against the insured.