A REGRESSION ANALYSIS ON THE IMPACT OF PER CAPITA
INCOME ON THE HEALTH CARE COST (A CASE STUDY OF UNIVERSITY OF UYO TEACHING
HOSPITAL)
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.1. Background of the study
Per
capita income in Nigeria as we all know has a lot to do with the day to day
live of Nigerians as it determines the quality of services rendered with the
health care sector having a lot to do with per capita income of Nigeria.It is important for
policymakers to know the relationship between health care expenditure and
income, knowing this relationship helps them to make wise judgments, plan
health reforms, and allocate resources efficiently.
In Nigeria, health care cost is a direct consequence of per capita income as
the amount of money earned determines the quality of health care rendered.
Okoro (2011: 46). Per capita income is
simply means the mean money income received in
the past 12 months computed for every man, woman, and child in a geographic
area. It is derived by dividing the total income of all people 15 years old and over in
a geographic area by the total population in that area (Wikipedia). Per capita
income for a geographical area or country like Nigeria has a lot to do with
economic development amongst health care cost. Health is a delicate sector in
Nigeria; a healthy nation is a nation that achieves great economic development
and progress. Per capita income
determines in some sort the health care cost. Nigeria being a developing
country needs to know the unique relationship between the per capita income and
health care cost. Understanding this would help in programming holistic health
care laws that would assist and protect the poor who do not have access to
quality health care. Nigeria is a country blessed with several health care
outlets ranging from teaching hospitals to clinics and health research
institutes just to mention but a few. The availability of these centers isn’t
enough in confronting health care challenges in Nigeria. The holistic
improvement of health care gores beyond just building of hospitals. This
hospitals need to be affordable to the poor masses a vast majority which live
on less than a dollar daily.
1.2. Aim and objective of
the study
It is important for
policymakers to know the relationship between health care expenditure and per
capita income, knowing this relationship helps them to make wise judgments,
plan health reforms, and allocate resources efficiently and at the same time
help in accommodating the poor in quality health care delivery bearing in mind
the health care cost.
1.3. Statement of the
General problem
Quality
health care delivery and its cost has been a major problem in Nigeria, a vast
majority of Nigerians are being denied quality health care delivery as a result
of its cost. This sole problem has led us into this research work inother to
know the relationship between health care cost and per capita income in other
to advice policy makers in ways of making holistic plans that would have a
positive far reaching effect on Nigerians, especially the poor in the society.
1.4. Significance of the
study
A
cardinal significance of this study seeks to advice policy makers on the best
way to make robust plans on quality health care cost in relation to per capita
income. This would help policy makers in effective distribution of resources.
This study seeks to recommend ways of making health sector accessible by all
and sundry which would help the poor gain access to quality health care delivery.
1.5. Scope of the study
The
scope of this study is on the impact of per capita income on the health care
cost (a case study of university of uyo teaching hospital)
1.6. Limitation of the
study
A
major limitation of this study is lack of sufficient data to carry out the
study. There were presence of missing data but this missing data wasn’t
significant enough to affect the potency of the study and its analysis.
1.7. Research hypothesis
H0:
There is no significant impact of per capita income on health care cost.
H1:
There is a significant impact of per capita income on health care cost.
1.8. Definition of Terms
·
Per
capita income:this is the mean money income
received in the past 12months computed for every man, woman, and child in a
geographical area.
·
Health:
the condition of a person’s body or
mind.
·
Health
care: the organized provision of medical
care to individuals or communities.
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