Factors Affecting Improved Community Health Fund Members in Mbarali District: A Case of Mbarali District Council in Mbeya Region (Tanzania).

The study on Improved Community Health Fund (iCHF) is aimed at looking into the factors affecting low number of iCHF enrolment. This study was guided by three specific objectives. The objectives were: To examine the socio-cultural practices that affect enrolment; To assess the perception of both beneficiaries and non-beneficiaries on affordable health care services and to determine how the national health policy of 2007 affects affecting enrolment Improved Community Health Fund in Mbarali District council. Data collection, presentation, and interpretation were done using both qualitative and quantitative approaches, as well as focus group discussions and in-depth interviews. Purposive sampling was used for in-depth interviews, and basic random sampling was used for social survey and focus group participants. The sample size for social survey respondents was calculated using Yamane's formula and distributed using Wilinkison and Bhandarkar's formula, while respondents for in-depth interviews were purposefully chosen. For qualitative and quantitative data analysis, content analysis and SPSS Version 20 were used, respectively. The study's key findings showed that people's willingness to enrol in iCHF is influenced by their awareness, cultural aspects of life, and policy implementation. Although the group is hesitant to enter iCHF, there is an urgent need for affordable healthcare that is provided by prepayment plans rather than out-of-pocket payments. Enrolment in iCHF is often subject to other factors such as a lack of knowledge about iCHF, insufficient resources in government facilities, the proliferation of alternative healing solutions, and people's perceptions of the prepayment scheme. Keywords: Enrolment, Community Health Fund and Tanzanian Health Insurance Pla