Researchers from University of Warwick Describe Findings in Public Health (Equity of National Publicly Funded Health Insurance Schemes Under the Universal Health Coverage Agenda: a Systematic Review of Studies Conducted In Africa): Health and Medicine – Public Health

2023 MAR 27 (NewsRx) -- By a News Reporter-Staff News Editor at Insurance Daily News -- Current study results on Health and Medicine - Public Health have been published. According to news reporting out of Coventry, United Kingdom, by NewsRx editors, research stated, “The implementation of publicly funded health insurance schemes (PFHIS) is the major strategy to drive progress and achievement of universal health coverage (UHC) by 2030. We appraised evidence on the equity of insurance schemes across Africa.”

Financial support for this research came from University of Warwick Chancellor’s International Scholarship.

Our news journalists obtained a quote from the research from the University of Warwick, “We conducted a systematic review of published studies that assessed equity in health insurance schemes implemented under the UHC agenda in Africa. Seven databases, Web of Science, Medline, CINAHL, Scopus, Cochrane Library, EMBASE and World Bank eLibrary, were searched; we operationalized the PROGRESS-Plus (place of residence; race/ethnicity/culture/language; occupation; gender/sex religion; education; socioeconomic status; social capital) equity framework to assess equity areas. Forty-five studies met the inclusion criteria and were included in the study, in which 90% assessed equity by socioeconomic status. Evidence showed that rural residents, those self-employed or working in the informal sector, men, those with lower educational attainment, and the poor were less likely to be covered by health insurance schemes. Broadly, the insurance schemes, especially, community-based health insurance (CBI) schemes improved utilization by disadvantaged groups, however, the same groups were less likely to benefit from health services.”

According to the news editors, the research concluded: “Evidence on equity of PFHIS is mixed, however, CBI schemes seem to offer more equitable coverage and utilization of essential health services in Africa.”

This research has been peer-reviewed.

For more information on this research see: Equity of National Publicly Funded Health Insurance Schemes Under the Universal Health Coverage Agenda: a Systematic Review of Studies Conducted In Africa. Journal of Public Health, 2022;44(4):900-909. Journal of Public Health can be contacted at: Oxford Univ Press, Great Clarendon St, Oxford OX2 6DP, England. (Oxford University Press - http://www.oup.com/; Journal of Public Health - jpubhealth.oxfordjournals.org)

Our news journalists report that additional information may be obtained by contacting Seun S. Anjorin, University of Warwick, Warwick Ctr Global Hlth, Warwick School of Medicine, Division of Health Sciences, Gibbet Hills Campus, Coventry CV4 7HL, West Midlands, United Kingdom. Additional authors for this research include Mustapha S. Abba, Daniel Mensah, Olalekan A. Uthman, Oyinlola O. Oyebode, Abimbola A. Ayorinde and Elvis A. Okolie.

The direct object identifier (DOI) for that additional information is: https://doi.org/10.1093/pubmed/fdab316. This DOI is a link to an online electronic document that is either free or for purchase, and can be your direct source for a journal article and its citation.

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