Equity in Financing Health Care Services in Nigeria

Abstract

Health care services in Nigeria are mainly financed through out-of-pocket payment. This study investigated the extent to which payments towards health care are related to ability to pay and if poor households make proportionally more out-of-pocket payment on health. In analyzing this, the study utilized data from the General household survey of the National Bureau of statistics of 2014. The study employed the Kakwani progressivity index in analyzing the objectives of the study. The findings from the study shows a regressive out-of-pocket payment which suggests that payments towards healthcare are not related to ability to pay. The result also shows that the poor households make proportionally more out-of-pocket payment.

Keywords: Out-of-Pocket payments, Ability to Pay, Kakwani Progressivity Index