Healthcare Financing in Nigeria: Current trends and issues

Abstract

Background: Healthcare financing is evolving on the African continent. In Nigeria, healthcare programmes are funded from internal and  external revenue. This study examined various methods of healthcare financing in Nigeria.

Data sources: Articles reviewed in addition to  authors’ previous field experience included those indexed in databases such as google scholar and PubMed. Studies related to healthcare  financing in Nigeria and across the continent were searched for

Study selection: The review process was based on the  PRISMA-ScR guidelines. Thirty (30) articles were reviewed but only (16) meet the final selection and were analyzed. Most of the studies  were conducted in Nigeria. Data extraction and synthesis: A review of data sources of previous studies was done to identify issues on  healthcare financing in Nigeria

Results: The studies show that common sources of healthcare financing in Nigeria include out of pocket  payment, private and public health insurance scheme. The National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) started about two decades ago and comprises Formal Sector Social Health Insurance Programme (FSSHIP) and the Informal Sector Social Health Insurance Programme  (ISSHIP). The FSSHIP covered government workers and organized private sector while the ISSHIP covered individual in the cohort of  artisans, traders, small scale business owners and other low-income earners who are not enrolled in the FSSHIP.

Conclusion: The three  tiers of government need to scale up access to health insurance scheme among the poor to promote social justice and attainment of   sustainable development goal