Awareness of maternal health services among micro health insurance beneficiaries

Abstract

INTRODUCTION Micro insurance for health is one method to address unmet health needs. It is an emerging sector, strongly linked to the micro credit movement in Bangladesh. 1 Women are the primary and target market for microinsurance for health. In most cases in Bangladesh, household medical services covered by insurance are accessed through female card-holders. In the case of facilities established by the micro-insurance schemes for health, clinics are largely run by women and women are trained as professional health workers to service the majority of female clientele. 2 Through micro-insurance facilities for health and low or no-cost services, women are able to independently access health services without assistance from male family members either for funding or transportation. Women can go a local clinic and use an insurance card to receive health services. 1 In general, the insurance packages have been designed to include basic service elements of general consultation and treatment, selected antenatal and post-natal care, simple preventative and curative care including drugs, low-cost ABSTRACT Background: Micro insurance for health is one method to address unmet health needs. Women are the primary and target market for micro-insurance for health. The study was conducted to assess the level of awareness on maternal health services among the micro health insurance beneficiaries. Methods: This cross-sectional study was done on 230 micro health insurance beneficiaries and 223 non-insured. The beneficiaries belonged to SAJIDA Foundation under Keraniganj thana and the non-insured belonged to Basila under Mohammadpur thana of Dhaka district. Purposive sampling technique was employed to select the sample and data were collected by face to face interview using a structured interview schedule. Results: The mean age ± SD of the women were 28.1 years ± 5.7 and 24.8 years ± 4.9 in program and comparison area respectively. The mean family income of the respondents of program and comparison area were 14489.13 Tk ± 12641.17 and 6814.35 Tk ± 3010. The women of the program area were more aware about the different components of maternal health than that of comparison area. Majority (93.9%) of women in program area were fully aware of maternal health services than that of comparison area (55.6%). Statistically significant (P <0.001,  2 = 90.72, df = 2) association was found between micro health insurance and level of awareness. Conclusions: Study shows higher proportions of women in programme area were aware on different components of maternal health services than in comparison area. Based on the study findings it can be recommended that steps should be taken to further improvement of the level of awareness on the factors influencing maternal health and the comparison area needs special attention to improve maternal health.