Effective Health Care Plan for National Health Insurance Scheme Patients with Non-Communicable Diseases in Plateau North Senatorial District

Abstract

Patients of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) are usually placed on a life-long prescription or procedure. This is sometimes a problem in itself. They could get tired since they are in most cases, not sickly, they could get careless as a result of familiarity or boredom, etc. The greatest challenge is that they could decide not to access care or continue to access care at a particular location for several reasons which may be culturally, politically, or socially influenced. Consequently, their situation could become more complicated. The location of access points to healthcare for them becomes a critical issue here. In this research, we looked at location of healthcare access points for NCD patients living in Plateau North Senatorial district who are also registered with the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS). Data on specialist opinions as to the relevance of each specialist and equipment for the effective management of the associated NCD was collected and analysed to determine relevance ratings. These ratings along with data on availability of specialists and equipment from each care provider registered with the NHIS in the study area, was analysed using the Patient-based Set Covering Location Model (Davwar, Wajiga & Okolo, 2021). The results show care providers that can provide healthcare services to such patients at a quality level T, the threshold value for patients in each location, below which a service provider is not considered. This was done for each NCD (Diabetes and Cancer) under consideration. In the analysis, each NCD was considered a scenario. For each patient of diabetes and or cancer, in each location in the study area, this research determines points of access to quality care.