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National Health Insurance Scheme Coverage for Pregnant Women in Jos, Nigeria: Implications for SDG-3
Corresponding Author(s) : Francis Magaji
Journal of Health Sciences and Practice,
Vol. 1 No. 1 (2022): Journal of Health Sciences and Practice (JHSP)
Abstract
Objective: The National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) coverage among pregnant women has a nexus with access to maternal and child health services, and the attainment of Sustainable Development Goal 3 (SDG-3). We sought to determine the coverage of NHIS among women accessing antenatal care in Jos, Nigeria.
Methods: This cross-sectional study of NHIS coverage among antenatal care attendees was undertaken between 1st November 2017 and 30th April 2018. Informed consent was obtained, demographic data, access and predictors for NHIS coverage were collected, and all women were registered and booked for ANC. Descriptive statistics and multivariate analysis using STATA Version 15 were performed.
Results: Of 3,238 pregnant women that booked for care, 6.9% of the women had NHIS coverage. Women above 30 years (OR = 11.4; 95% CI = 1.94 – 458.49; P = 0.003); with tertiary education (OR = 3.9; 95% CI = 1.01 – 32.88; P = 0.044); of Plateau tribes (OR = 1.5; 95% CI = 1.17 - 2.05; P = 0.002); and multi-gravidae (OR = 5.4; 95% CI =3.40 – 8.99; P = 0.001) were significantly associated with coverage for NHIS. However, women who booked in the second trimester (OR = 0.52; 95% CI = 0.35 - 0.77; P = 0.001) were significantly less likely to be covered for NHIS.
Conclusions: The NHIS coverage for pregnant women is low and much lower among women less than 30 years, with no formal education, and primigravidae. Unless more enrollments into NHIS is encourage, findings have grave public health implications for achieving SDG-3 by 2030.