METHODS OF PAYMENT FOR HEALTH CARE AND PERCEPTION OF A PREPAYMENT SCHEME AMONG AUTO-TECHNICIANS IN ABUJA, NIGERIA

BACKGROUND: The National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) in Nigeria has succeeded in enrolling only a minute fraction of the population. Studies on the scheme among informal sector employees are required to plan a scale up of the programme in this group which represents the majority of the working population in the country. OBJECTIVE: This study sought to assess the method of payment for health care, awareness of and the perception about the NHIS among auto-technicians in Abuja, Nigeria. METHODS: A cross-sectional descriptive survey was conducted among auto-technicians in Abuja Municipal Area Council (AMAC), Nigeria. Data was collected using interviewer-administered questionnaire, and analyzed with SPSS version 17. RESULTS: A total of 351 auto-technicians and allied workers participated in the study. Post-secondary education [(Odds Ratio (OR) = 7.78, 95% CI = 1.61 - 37.54, p = 0.01)] and having a spouse who is gainfully employed [(OR = 3.67, 95% CI = 1.04-12.93)] predicted awareness of the NHIS. Older people above forty years of age were significantly less likely to be aware of the NHIS, (OR = 0.27, 95% CI = 0.08 - 0.92, p = 0.036). CONCLUSION: Despite the glaring need and willingness of the participants to enroll in a prepayment scheme for health, workers in the informal sector of the economy may remain unreached by NHIS due to lack of awareness and skepticism. Strategic steps to remove ignorance and dispel doubts is imperative for scale up of the NHIS in the informal sector.