Rural health care access and financing among cooperative members in rural Nigeria

Rural areas in developing countries have limited access to inclusive healthcare delivery and financing. Membership in cooperatives has been suggested as a pathway to rural health inclusiveness. However, whether cooperative membership supports rural health access and financing remains unclear. This study appraises rural healthcare access and financing, and whether membership in cooperative societies offers healthcare advantages to rural households in Nigeria. Primary data were collected in 45 rural communities consisting of 900 households as respondents. Healthcare access is limited among rural households with only 1.1% of pregnant women having access to maternity healthcare. Traditional healthcare access and self-medication exist (27%), in addition to the use of medicine stores (23.2%) and poorly equipped private medical facilities (13.8%) in rural areas. Cooperative organisations provide limited support to healthcare access (74%) for the members. Similarly, rural health financing support from the cooperative is almost non-existent (73.6%). There is a near absence of health insurance (90.8%) in rural areas. However, rural healthcare financing support for the employed exists (31.7%). Rural households find support for healthcare access from family (1.3%), personal savings, and sales of assets (16.2%) while the majority (82.5%) use herbs at no quantifiable cost to meet healthcare needs. Cooperative societies must be educated on the need to incorporate healthcare packages into their products for members. Rural healthcare policies should pay significant attention to how long it takes rural inhabitants to reach existing healthcare facilities.