Service Quality: An Empirical Study of Expectations versus Perception of National Health Insurance Scheme Enrollees in Federal Universities in South East, Nigeria

Abstract

This paper relates service quality to the expectations of enrollees (consumers) versus the perceptions of Healthcare Providers in the delivery of healthcare services of National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS). A questionnaire based upon a 22-question modified version of SERVQUAL was designed to obtain information about expected versus perceived levels of service quality from consumers. A second 22-question instrument seeking healthcare providers’ perceptions of expectations of the consumers was also devised. The data collected were then contrasted. The paper identified a gap score of -0.0055 between expectation and perception, and concludes that consumers perceived inferior quality of service from Healthcare Providers, who are the gate keepers of NHIS. Keyword: Service Quality, Expectations, Perceptions, National Health Insurance Scheme, Enrollees, Healthcare Providers Introduction