Propagating health insurance: A formative evaluation of broadcast media programs sponsored by National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) in selected northern states of Nigeria (2007 to 2012)

Abstract

This paper is based on a survey carried out in 2013 to assess the formative potential of broadcast programs designed to propagate the need for health insurance among citizens in six Northern States of Nigeria from 2007 to 2012. Like many insurance schemes across the world, the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) envisaged contributors to pay into common pools to enable health care providers to attend to the contributors in medical needs by drawing from the pool of funds. This risk-sharing scheme is fathomed to improve resource mobilization and improve equity especially in underdeveloped situations like in Nigeria, where poverty has increased child and maternal mortality and reduced access to good medical care. NHIS media strategy focuses on convincing citizens on the benefits of enrolling in the scheme. The strategy also assists stakeholders to disseminate knowledge of the scheme to potential enrollees, and to ensure mass participation of citizens by ensuring adequate news coverage of NHIS events.

Keywords: National Health Insurance Scheme, health communication, media campaigns, media strategy, formative evaluation.