PREPAREDNESS OF PUBLIC HOSPITALS AHEAD OF THE PROPOSED NATIONAL HEALTH INSURANCE SCHEME IN UGANDA: A DESCRIPTIVE STUDY FOCUS ON REGIONAL REFERRAL HOSPITALS

Background: The Ugandan government plans to go ahead with mandatory health insurance for all Ugandans by 2025. This research investigated the preparedness of Public Hospitals, focusing on Regional Referral Hospitals (RRHs) ahead of the proposed National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) in Uganda. The specific objectives that guided the study were: to assess the availability of human resources for health in these RRHs, hospital infrastructure, and whether their services can currently fulfill NHIS accreditation standards. Methodology: The study took both qualitative and quantitative research perspectives. It was a descriptive cross-sectional study with the study population constituting Regional Referral Hospitals in Uganda. A quota sample of four hospitals conveniently selected from each geographical region, was studied. Document review and observation with inventory taking were the data collection methods and checklists were the tools used in research. Results: The study revealed that the human resources for health and hospital infrastructure were sufficiently available and hence prepared for the proposed NHIS with preparedness percentages of 76% and 92%, respectively. However, the findings showed that the RRHs are currently not eligible for accreditation by NHIS to provide healthcare because of a lack of adequate required health service standards at only a 59% preparedness percentage. Conclusion: This study concluded that the RRHs are prepared for NHIS in terms of infrastructure and human resources for health, but the preparedness in terms of the quality of services given the NHIS accreditation standards needs to be concretized. Recommendations: The study hence suggests that management in RRH should expand and improve health services to meet NHIS accreditation standards. The study recommends the implementation of NHIS in Uganda.