Factors influencing provision of health services in government healthcare institutions in Kajiado County, Kenya

Abstract

The overall goal of this study was to investigate the key factors influencing the provision of services in Government healthcare institutions in Kajiado County. In fulfilling this purpose, four research objectives were developed to guide the study. These objectives involved investigating the influence of the following factors on the provision of services offered in Government healthcare institutions in Kajiado County, human resource management, health care financing, capacity of the health care workforce, and procurement procedures. This study was grounded on the premise of quantitative approach, with a descriptive research design methodology. Under this design, the study targeted a total of 565 stakeholders in Kajiado Sub-County Hospitals ranging from health professionals (doctors and nurses), senior managers, and non-health professionals working in finance, procurement, and human resource department. Of thee individuals, 169 respondents were selected through stratified random sampling for inclusion in the study. The data was then gathered via questionnaires and interviews and later fed into Statistical Package for Social Scientists for statistical analysis. The findings of the first objective showed that 60% of the respondents agreed that human resource management resources affected the provision of health services. The results of the second research objective revealed that most respondents (42.6%) agreed that health care financing influences the provision of health services in the hospitals. Additionally, the results of the third objective showed that majority (53.2%) of the respondents were in agreement that inadequate workforce was the biggest challenge to provision of healthcare. Lastly, the results for the fourth objective indicated that 61.7% of the respondents agreed that procurement procedures influence the provision of health care services. It is concluded that adequate health care staff, better employee retention strategies for the existing staff, better financing, and enhanced procurement services by the County Government are required to raise the provision of health services offered by Kajiado Sub-County Hospitals. It is recommended that more attention be given to the management, human resource allocation, and infrastructure by the Ministry of Health and Kajiado County to facilitate easy provision of health services. It is also recommended that Kajiado-Sub County hospitals should put in place policies, which address the misuse of funds and resources, by those in authority. This study proposes the creation of effective performance appraisal systems by Kajiado Sub-County hospitals in order to boost the workforce performance. Lastly, the study will benefit the County Governments and National Government in initiating strategic solutions and programmes geared towards enhancement of health care in the Country