Attitudes of private not for profit (PNFP) health workers in Jinja diocese to the proposed social health insurance in Uganda

Abstract

Uganda proposes to introduce Social Health Insurance (SHI). Whereas the idea of SHI is good, the scheme has to be designed properly and carefully, in order to avoid dangers like fraud and especially, cost escalation due to over-prescription. Health workers are, particularly, key stakeholders in preventing cost escalation. Attempting to start a SHI scheme without educating, convincing and winning over the health workers in the country could be disastrous for the scheme. This study was done to determine the knowledge and attitudes of Ugandan health workers to the proposed scheme. It was done in one network of faithbased private-not-for-profit (PNFP) health facilities under the Catholic Diocese of Jinja, in SE Uganda. Despite being done close to the starting of the scheme, the study found that most of the health workers were not knowledgeable about the scheme at all and that they had a negative attitude towards it. The study recommends extension of the period of sensitization, focusing on health workers, but at the same time focusing on improving the design of the scheme to prevent common pitfalls e.g. fraud and cost escalation.