Online Journal of Health & Allied Sciences (May 2016)
The Quality of Healthcare Service Delivery in Nigeria: An Assessment of the Availability of Some Basic Medical Devices/Equipment in the Primary Health Care Centres in Delta State
Abstract
Background: Ordinarily, accessibility implies locational proximity. However, this study limits its use to the quality of what is accessed. There is, therefore, service-delivery inaccessibility, when health care seekers can only access poor quality service, because of the poor quality of the equipment at the disposal of primary health care centres. Service-delivery equipment are, therefore, surrogate indicators of the quality of the health care services that are geographically accessible. Methodology: Both qualitative and quantitative approaches of investigation were deployed, using structured questionnaires and focus group discussions/key informant interviews, respectively. It covered nine local government areas, three each from the senatorial districts. The paper discusses three basic medical devices/equipment that determine the quality of services delivered by PHCs, namely available and functioning general purpose equipment; most commonly used methods of sterilization; and availability of different types of laboratory tests. The quantitative data were cleaned up, processed and analysed, using the SPSS 10.0. Results: There were variations in the availability of devices and equipment. Syringes/needles and stethoscopes were available in more than three-quarters of the centres, while less than ten (10) per cent had microscopes. About 15 per cent of the centres either had no methods of sterilization at all or used ‘inappropriate’ ones. In spite of the prevalence of malaria, only 28.89 per centres could test for the parasite. Conclusion: The quality of services were perceived as poor because the basic medical devices and equipment were either lacking or inadequate. Policy implication is that government should increase resource allocation to the PHC subsector to procure the basic facilities for efficient service delivery.
