Assessing the Factors that Contribute to Customer Satisfaction: A Case Study of National Health Insurance in Zambia - Chingola

Health insurance is an agreement between two parties in which there is a monthly contribution in exchange for medical expense coverage, which may cover part or all expenses.

Implementing health insurance in most African countries has been met with setbacks due to minimal knowledge on the benefits of health insurance. Another challenge being faced is the customer satisfaction found in countries that have implemented the scheme. These factors range from lengthy waiting times, lack of courtesy, drug stockouts, among others. Since the implementation of the scheme Zambia, in the year 2019,  there is limited literature available to find out the level of satisfaction the current members and beneficiaries of the scheme have been facing.

The study focused on customer satisfaction among Chingola residents in Zambia as the town is the sixth densely populated town in the country and is currently being served by only two nhima accredited institutions. Of the two facilities, only one offers comprehensive healthcare provision which was the focus of this study. The study used a mixed method approach of both qualitative and quantitative and had a total of 147 participants in the study.

Data was collected using an online Google docs analytic form, and convenience sampling technique was employed in order to have participants that willingly participated in the study. The qualitative responses were coded and analysed using thematic analysis.

The study found the customer satisfaction as 49.66% with a net promoter score of 1, these results showed that there were a significant number of people who were not satisfied with the current services being provided and hence the large number of detractors of the service. The results were comparable to similar studies done on a regional level. This means there is need to improve the service provision in Chingola district if the district is to achieve universal coverage health which is in line with the third sustainable development goal (SDG 3).