Assessing Pre-Conditions of Social Cohesion Existing Within the Community
The promoters of health micro-insurance scheme need to gain a prior understanding of certain pre-conditions existing within the society before launching it. This step involves in ascertaining the social bond and relationships existing between the members of the same community. Following are the assumptions that the promoters keep in mind before implementing the health micro-insurance scheme and test its presence at the community-level during this stage:
a. Mutual aid traditions must exist: As any community-based health micro-insurance scheme works on the basis of the community pooling resources together and providing health care services to the needy ones from the same community, it is important to know beforehand whether such a bond of mutual help is already present or not. If the communities are not engaged in an activity of mutual help, it would be difficult to introduce the concept of health micro-insurance. Mutual aid traditions can exist in form of a social movement, issue-based activism, political participation or micro-finance activities.
b. Community in general must be facing financial difficulties in accessing health care: This should also be one of the main concerns of the community while reflecting upon their common problems of daily life. The community should identify and willing to do something to counter this problem and improve access to health care.
c. Community should trust the promoters of the Scheme: The community has to trust the promoters of the Health micro-insurance Scheme, as it involves pooling of resources from within the community and providing the services.
d. Quality health care services must be available: Quality health care services should be available for the community within an accessible area and these services have to be regularly used by the community. It has to be ensured that these health care services (which can be in form of health posts, health centres, hospitals etc) have regular medical personnel, proper supply of medicines, availability of functional medical equipment and respectable behaviour shown to the clients.
In an event where such quality health services are not available, then the plan should include setting up such services, complementing the health micro-insurance scheme.
e. Community should be willing to pay, even in smaller amounts, for better health services: The community should be ready to pay, even in smaller amounts, for accessing better health care facilities. It should be made clear to them that the amount collected is to insure their health needs and they should develop confidence in utilising the services whenever a need arises.
