Public awareness and knowledge of the National Health Insurance in South Africa

Public awareness and knowledge of the National Health Insurance in South Africa

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INTRODCUTION: individuals residing in Limpopo, KwaZulu-Natal and the Eastern Cape provinces who had access to public health services were surveyed to determine public knowledge and awareness of the new National Health Insurance (NHI).METHODS: a descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted and a total of 748 adult respondents were sampled using a two-stage systematic sampling design.Data were collected using mobile phone assisted personal interviews.

RESULTS: the study found that 80.3% of the respondents were aware of the NHI and slightly less than half (49.8%) of the respondents did not have knowledge of how the NHI soderhamn ottoman cover works and 71.

8% lacked awareness about the origin of the development of the NHI concept in South Africa.The knowledge of what the NHI would pay for was poor and 48.1% knew that the NHI Fund would pay for medical expenses if a person got sick and 45.

7% knew that with health insurance, basic health requirement is ensured and that if one becomes ill, medical treatment would be paid for by the NHI Fund, 50.9% of respondents did not understand how the NHI Fund will pay for health care received, only 44.8% iphone 14 price texas understood how the NHI will pay for health care services received.

CONCLUSION: the public education campaigns to increase knowledge and understanding of the NHI scheme might have been inadequate hence might not have penetrated many communities.It is recommended that a comprehensive community consultation plan be established to increase awareness and knowledge of the NHI among community members targeting clinics, schools, pension pay points and other community sites.