Abstract:

Background: Cerebral palsy has drastic effects on a person’s movements and posture, and hinders them from maintaining a normal active life. People with cerebral palsy have hearing impairments, speech and other impairments related to oral-motor dysfunction are common in patients with cerebral palsy, leading to difficult in swallowing-poor nutrition and growth as well as self-esteem, there are verbal and intellectual disabilities, ocular pathologies and a significant amount of them will go on to become epileptic. Therefore people living with cerebral palsy require a vast professional term and treatment in order for them to live as close to a normal life as possible. Health insurance is pivotal in lowering the financial burden among these people.

Methodology: A cross sectional study, based on data obtained from Bugando Medical Centre and Sekou Toure Regional Referral Hospital in Mwanza from October 2020 to May 2021. The samples obtained were randomly selected, participants gave information through semi structured questionnaires and data was analyzed by using SPSS program.

Results: Out of 73 participants 66 (90.4%) were complete dependent on another person and the children who could walk indoor and outdoor with minimum difficult were 4.1%. 68.5% of the participants had a health insurance covered physiotherapy, 2.7% had both physiotherapy as well as antiepileptic drugs and 43.8% covered other things. 38.4% of the participants recommended that assistive devices should also be included as a coverage within the health insurance and 28.8% suggested CT and MRI to be included as well

Conclusion: Majority of the children were completely dependent on other person in order to function. A substantial amount of the financial providers worked in the informal sector. A significant proportion of the participants had health insurance, of the health insurance, the national health insurance fund was dominant. Physiotherapy was well covered within the health insurance package, however care givers did express a need to add assistive devices as well as CT and MRI as part of the insurance package.