Patrons’ perception of quality of healthcare services in Primary Healthcare Centres (PHCs) in Oyo state, Nigeria

Abstract

The need to ensure quality healthcare especially at the Primary Healthcare Centres (PHCs) necessitated this study. A multi-stage sampling technique resulted in the selection and interview of 197 patrons of PHCs in rural, semi-urban and urban locations in the study area. Results indicate that most patrons were women (71.6%), married (66.0%) with family size of 2-4 members (65.5%). Whereas services like education for health (68.0%), safe water and sanitation (69.5%), and emergency treatment (61.9%) were available to most patrons, expanded programme on immunization (44.6%), maternal and child health (36.5%) and treatment of communicable diseases (35.0%) were available to fewer patrons. Also, access to expanded programme on immunization (60.9%), maternal and child health (70.7%), nutrition (60.9%) and treatment of communicable diseases (73.2%). were not available to significant proportion of the clinic attendees in rural locations. Patrons were constrained by long client waiting time and low health workers patient ratio in rural ( =2.6) and urban ( =2.0) areas. Patrons differ across locations (F= 1.2; p ? 0.05) in their perception of the quality of healthcare rendered by PHCs. Government should make all PHCs services available irrespective of locations as recommended by the World Health Organisation.

Keywords: Primary healthcare, Patrons, ELEMENTS-P, Perception