Healthcare workers´ experiences and perceptions of the provision of health insurance benefits to the elderly in rural Tanzania: an explorative qualitative study
Abstract Background Healthcare workers play an important part in the delivery of health insurance benefits, and their role in ensuring service quality and availability, access, and good management practice for insured clients is crucial. Tanzania started a government-based health insurance scheme in...
| Main Authors: | , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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BMC
2023-03-01
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| Series: | BMC Public Health |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-023-15297-4 |
| _version_ | 1797863344813637632 |
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| author | Paul Joseph Amani Miguel San Sebastian Anna-Karin Hurtig Angwara Denis Kiwara Isabel Goicolea |
| author_facet | Paul Joseph Amani Miguel San Sebastian Anna-Karin Hurtig Angwara Denis Kiwara Isabel Goicolea |
| author_sort | Paul Joseph Amani |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Background Healthcare workers play an important part in the delivery of health insurance benefits, and their role in ensuring service quality and availability, access, and good management practice for insured clients is crucial. Tanzania started a government-based health insurance scheme in the 1990s. However, no studies have specifically looked at the experience of healthcare professionals in the delivery of health insurance services in the country. This study aimed to explore healthcare workers’ experiences and perceptions of the provision of health insurance benefits for the elderly in rural Tanzania. Methods An exploratory qualitative study was conducted in the rural districts of Igunga and Nzega, western-central Tanzania. Eight interviews were carried out with healthcare workers who had at least three years of working experience and were involved in the provision of healthcare services to the elderly or had a certain responsibility with the administration of health insurance. The interviews were guided by a set of questions related to their experiences and perceptions of health insurance and its usefulness, benefit packages, payment mechanisms, utilisation, and availability of services. Qualitative content analysis was used to analyse the data. Results Three categories were developed that describe healthcare workers´ experiences and perceptions of delivering the benefits of health insurance for the elderly living in rural Tanzania. Healthcare workers perceived health insurance as an important mechanism to increase healthcare access for elderly people. However, alongside the provision of insurance benefits, several challenges coexisted, such as a shortage of human resources and medical supplies as well as operational issues related to delays in funding reimbursement. Conclusion While health insurance was considered an important mechanism to facilitate access to care among rural elderly, several challenges that impede its purpose were mentioned by the participants. Based on these, an increase in the healthcare workforce and availability of medical supplies at the health-centre level together with expansion of services coverage of the Community Health Fund and improvement of reimbursement procedures are recommended to achieve a well-functioning health insurance scheme. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-09T22:34:06Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-a05c9791e2264030ba78648eb421e175 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1471-2458 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-09T22:34:06Z |
| publishDate | 2023-03-01 |
| publisher | BMC |
| record_format | Article |
| series | BMC Public Health |
| spelling | doaj.art-a05c9791e2264030ba78648eb421e1752023-03-22T12:35:08ZengBMCBMC Public Health1471-24582023-03-012311910.1186/s12889-023-15297-4Healthcare workers´ experiences and perceptions of the provision of health insurance benefits to the elderly in rural Tanzania: an explorative qualitative studyPaul Joseph Amani0Miguel San Sebastian1Anna-Karin Hurtig2Angwara Denis Kiwara3Isabel Goicolea4Department of Health Systems Management, School of Public Administration and Management, Mzumbe UniversityDepartment of Epidemiology and Global Health, Umeå UniversityDepartment of Epidemiology and Global Health, Umeå UniversityDepartment of Development Studies, Muhimbili University of Health and Allied SciencesDepartment of Epidemiology and Global Health, Umeå UniversityAbstract Background Healthcare workers play an important part in the delivery of health insurance benefits, and their role in ensuring service quality and availability, access, and good management practice for insured clients is crucial. Tanzania started a government-based health insurance scheme in the 1990s. However, no studies have specifically looked at the experience of healthcare professionals in the delivery of health insurance services in the country. This study aimed to explore healthcare workers’ experiences and perceptions of the provision of health insurance benefits for the elderly in rural Tanzania. Methods An exploratory qualitative study was conducted in the rural districts of Igunga and Nzega, western-central Tanzania. Eight interviews were carried out with healthcare workers who had at least three years of working experience and were involved in the provision of healthcare services to the elderly or had a certain responsibility with the administration of health insurance. The interviews were guided by a set of questions related to their experiences and perceptions of health insurance and its usefulness, benefit packages, payment mechanisms, utilisation, and availability of services. Qualitative content analysis was used to analyse the data. Results Three categories were developed that describe healthcare workers´ experiences and perceptions of delivering the benefits of health insurance for the elderly living in rural Tanzania. Healthcare workers perceived health insurance as an important mechanism to increase healthcare access for elderly people. However, alongside the provision of insurance benefits, several challenges coexisted, such as a shortage of human resources and medical supplies as well as operational issues related to delays in funding reimbursement. Conclusion While health insurance was considered an important mechanism to facilitate access to care among rural elderly, several challenges that impede its purpose were mentioned by the participants. Based on these, an increase in the healthcare workforce and availability of medical supplies at the health-centre level together with expansion of services coverage of the Community Health Fund and improvement of reimbursement procedures are recommended to achieve a well-functioning health insurance scheme.https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-023-15297-4Healthcare workersQualitativeElderlyHealth insuranceRuralTanzania |
| spellingShingle | Paul Joseph Amani Miguel San Sebastian Anna-Karin Hurtig Angwara Denis Kiwara Isabel Goicolea Healthcare workers´ experiences and perceptions of the provision of health insurance benefits to the elderly in rural Tanzania: an explorative qualitative study BMC Public Health Healthcare workers Qualitative Elderly Health insurance Rural Tanzania |
| title | Healthcare workers´ experiences and perceptions of the provision of health insurance benefits to the elderly in rural Tanzania: an explorative qualitative study |
| title_full | Healthcare workers´ experiences and perceptions of the provision of health insurance benefits to the elderly in rural Tanzania: an explorative qualitative study |
| title_fullStr | Healthcare workers´ experiences and perceptions of the provision of health insurance benefits to the elderly in rural Tanzania: an explorative qualitative study |
| title_full_unstemmed | Healthcare workers´ experiences and perceptions of the provision of health insurance benefits to the elderly in rural Tanzania: an explorative qualitative study |
| title_short | Healthcare workers´ experiences and perceptions of the provision of health insurance benefits to the elderly in rural Tanzania: an explorative qualitative study |
| title_sort | healthcare workers´ experiences and perceptions of the provision of health insurance benefits to the elderly in rural tanzania an explorative qualitative study |
| topic | Healthcare workers Qualitative Elderly Health insurance Rural Tanzania |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-023-15297-4 |
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