Typology of health care consumers in Nigeria

Against the background of two highly competitive systems of medicine in Nigeria four types of health care consumers are identified in this paper. Health Consumer I utilizes either the traditional or scientific system exclusively. Health consumer II utilizes the traditional system and when dissatisfied turns to the scientific system: while health consumer III utilizes the scientific system first and later turns to the alternative system. Health consumer IV utilizes both systems simultaneously. Illness behaviour as exhibited by these consumers has negative consequences on the successful delivery of medical services in Nigeria in that scarce resources are wasted through duplication of services and personnel. Furthermore competition between both systems is heightened by the defection of patients to the alternative system. A solution to these problems is offered through the reorganization of the governmental health services to include the traditional sector. It is suggested that an intregrated governmental medical services may result in stabilizing the health consumer and producing an economically more viable system of medicine for the country.