Review Article
Year: 2017 | Month: October-December | Volume: 2 | Issue: 4 | Pages: 14-18
Achieving Universal Health Coverage through NHIS Voluntary Contributors Social Health Insurance Programme (VCSHIP): Implication for Nursing Education and Practice
Ogundeji Kolawole Damilare
Clinic Nurse (ISON BPO Site Clinic), Axa Mansard Health Limited (HMO), Race-Cross Road, Sabo, Ibadan, Oyo State, Nigeria
ABSTRACT
Voluntary Contributors Social Health Insurance Programme (VCSHIP) is a flagship programme of the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) under the informal sector and it is Nigerian government’ way of scaling up universal health coverage based on World Health Assembly resolution of 2005. Before the emergence of the scheme, out of pocket (OOP) expenditure or user fee was the principal way of settling healthcare expenses, therefore; the scheme is aim at providing accessible, affordable and quality care for the targeted Nigerian population at a reduced cost. However, the awareness of this important NHIS programme is low among the targeted population which invariably can be attributed to poor dissemination of the benefits of the scheme as against the traditional out of pocket payment by the healthcare workers to the clients. Specifically, Nurses are the largest component of healthcare workforce and have more contacts with the clients therefore they play central role in advocacy, counseling and educating the clients about the scheme. It is recommended that nurses diverse tutorial programmes should be step- up to accommodate current health care policies and programmes to improve nurses’ awareness thereby improving clients access to healthcare services.
Key words: Health, Coverage, Voluntary, Social, Insurance, Nursing