Perception and utilization of free health services by nursing mothers in Igbo-ora, Oyo state, Nigeria

 This study assessed the experiences of nursing mothers on a set of free and subsided services in Igbo-Ora, Oyo State, Nigeria.

            The study was descriptive and cross-sectional.  The target population consisted of women who had delivered babies in years 2000 and 2001, after the introduction of free Health Care Policy.  The women with the most recent delivery were selected to arrive at a sample of 351 women.  Perceptions and experiences of factors that influence utilization of facilities such as cost, quality of services at health facility were obtained through four focus group discussions, and these were used to develop a semi-structured questionnaire.  

            The ages of 351 respondents ranged from 18 – 50 years with a mean of 27.4 (SD ± 6.38).  A majority 241, (68.7%), were Muslims and 75 (21.4%) had no formal education.Two hundred and forty-five (69.8%) women with primary or no formal education had used government facility as compared with 106(30.2%)  women with secondary or higher education (P = 0.02). This shows that utilization of government facility was positively associated with lower education levels.  Among the 266 who had used government facility, 251 (94.4%) paid money for free heath services, the amount paid ranged from N5 to N700, with a mean of N242.  On a 5-point rating scale on the quality of free health care, those who attended public health facilities had a mean score of 3.8.  A good proportion of women that utilized government facility, 115 (43.2%), identified problems associated with the free health services scheme to include inadequate drug supply.

            In conclusion, the study shows that government services are utilized mostly by low-income earners who still pay for services that are supposed to be free most especially drugs.  This point to the need for the government to properly monitor the implementation of the free health policy.