Healthcare Access and Health Seeking Behaviors among Households in Katsina State, North-Western, Nigeria

Abstract

Achieving Universal Health Coverage (UHC) is one of the targets set by nations of the world when adopting the Sustainable Development Goals in 2015. The law establishing Katsina State Contributory Healthcare Management Agency (KTSCHMA) was signed on 27^th December 2018 as Law No. 10 of 2018. The agency carried out the Household Baseline Assessment Survey to implement the Scheme across the state. This aimed at determining the households, access to healthcare services, and health-seeking behaviors among households' in Katsina State. It is a descriptive cross-sectional design study carried out across the state. In January 2020, 416 households were surveyed using multi-stage sampling techniques. The result shows that the majority (88.5%) of households have male heads, with (56.1%) having no formal education. Most (46.6%) household heads are self-employed, and only 9.6% of household heads are working in the public sector. The average household is made up of 6 members. The majority (95.2%) of residents visit healthcare facilities when ill, and only about 63.9% visit government health facilities as their first point of call for treatment, with fewer (15.2%) visiting chemists and pharmacists, usually without a prescription from a doctor. Access to healthcare facilities is also very high, with about 83.6% of residents living within 30 minutes of a healthcare facility. Full implementation of the scheme will improve healthcare coverage and utilization among residents of Katsina State.