Thesis:

Assessment of the influence of healthcare financing strategies on universal health coverage in garissa county in kenya

Throughout a series of healthcare policy initiatives spanning numerous years, the Kenyan government has consistently dedicated resources to the endeavor of attaining Universal Health Coverage. However, the latest statistical data presents a stark incongruity between these investments and the actual outcomes. According to the Global Burden of Disease assessment, Kenya's Universal Health Coverage index hovers around 50%, signifying that just half of the Kenyan population benefits from essential healthcare services and financial protection mechanisms, which shield them from the economic hardships associated with out-of-pocket healthcare expenses. These statistics are even more intriguing in Garissa County given the high disease burden which calls for a closer focus on Universal Health Coverage achievement. Healthcare financing has been earmarked as a strong pillar to drive the achievement of Universal Health Coverage programs based on empirical evidence. The main objective of the study was to assess the influence of healthcare financing strategies that is public funding, healthcare aid, and private financing on Universal Health Coverage in Garissa County in Kenya through a mixed-methodology and analytical cross-section study design. Slovin formula was used to determine a sample size of 372 who were sampled through purposively and systematic random sampling procedures. Both qualitative and quantitative primary data were collected through structured questionnaires as well as interviews. The collected data was analyzed through both thematic and quantitative procedures (descriptive and inferential statistics). The findings indicated that UHC coverage in Garissa County had been achieved only to a moderate extent. The results indicated that public healthcare financing had a positive and significant influence on UHC coverage in Garissa County (β = 0.459; P < 0.05). The results indicated that healthcare financing through aid had a positive and significant influence on UHC coverage in Garissa County (β = 0.249; P < 0.05). The results indicated that private healthcare financing had a negative and not significant influence on UHC coverage in Garissa County (β = - 0.092; P > 0.05). The results led to the conclusion that public and healthcare aid financing were the most appropriate financing approaches to achieve a notable improvement in UHC coverage in the county. The study also concluded that private health financing had a negative impact on the attainment of UHC. Additionally, the study established that private health financing had a deteriorating effect on the achievement of Universal Health Coverage. It was also established that the most significant financing approach to achieve Universal Health Coverage was public followed by healthcare aid. The research proposes that the county government should take concrete actions to enforce and broaden Universal Health Coverage programs. This can be achieved by earmarking adequate financial resources for the healthcare sector, with the ultimate goal of ensuring that every citizen can avail themselves of essential healthcare services without enduring financial distress. Additionally, they should invest in healthcare infrastructure, medical equipment and human resources. The county government can also establish effective risk-pooling mechanisms to distribute healthcare costs across the population through social health insurance programs or national health funds.