| dc.description.abstract | The 20-year onslaught of HIV/AIDS has radically changed the economics of patient
care, and its effects are still being felt throughout the health care system. The private
hospitals are faced by many business challenges when dealing with HIVIAIDS
patients now than before but still have the social responsibility of providing quality
healthcare to all including HIVIAIDS patients. This report presents the findings of a
survey of the business challenges of private hospitals in Nairobi, Kenya to the
HIVIAIDS pandemic and how they have responded to it. The research was conducted
among 55 private hospitals based in Nairobi, Kenya. The information sought in the
study was collected using a structured questionnaire and personal interviews.
The study revealed that HIVIAIDS pandemic posed many business challenges to
private hospitals. Average percent bed occupancy by HIVI AIDS patients was 32.6%.
There was a general upward trend in the total number of general patients attended to
(33.5% increase) but this was not the case with HIV/AIDS patients. Of the
respondents, 66.7% considered HIVIAIDS as a business opportunity of moderate to
very high extent. However, 84.4% respondents considered HIVIAIDS as a business
risk of moderate to very high extent. These findings indicate that HIVIAIDS is both a
business opportunity and risk that co-exist together in a hospital. This was ..
compounded by the finding that few HIV/AIDS patients (21.2%) fully paid their
hospital bills.
The study further examined the responses of the hospitals to these challenges. Most
hospitals (73.3%) involved themselves in a kind of program related to HIV/AIDS, with
HI
evealed that a majority of hospitals did not stock the ARV'S (82.4%) and ajust a few
did stock the drugs (17.6%). Very few hospitals 12.1% adopted advanced technology
in radiology investigations for HIVIAIDS patients. On the other hand, when it came to
adopting advanced technology for laboratory investigations for specific HIVIAIDS
related cases, majority of the hospitals 56.3% had adopted it, and a few (43.7%) did
not.
This study demonstrates that HIVIAIDS has actually caused a change in the business
environment of private hospitals and these hospitals have responded with various
measures to fit in a precarious environment. The study recommends further research
like the strategy behind the responses made by the hospitals and to what extent does
strategy play in dealing with the hospitals' business in HIV/AIDS and how effective
these strategies are. These studies would expound on the current understanding of
strategic issues in this poorly researched industry. The results of this study will assist
managers of private hospitals in strategic management of hospitals in relation to
HIV/AIDS. | en |
