The State of Primary Health Care Services Delivery in Iganga District, Eastern Uganda

Abstract

The study is set to examine the state of primary health care services in Iganga District. The study was based on a realization that as complaints kept coming in regarding declining quality in the health services delivered, limited efforts were reflected to try and iron out the issue academically. The research design was both descriptive and analytical. The descriptive design catered to the qualitative data that was obtained as a backup to the quantitative data. Analytically, quantitative data was obtained and used in making statistical explanations. Data was collected from the district technical planning committee, hospital administration, chairpersons of the health unit management committees, the district executive committee, and the department of district administration, as these were mandated to plan, monitor, and execute local government budgets intended to ensure good health service delivery. The total population of both the unit of enquiry and the unit of analysis were the individual employees at the district and the hospital administration. The study was both quantitative and qualitative. For quantitative data, the researcher developed structured instruments for data collection. This is based on the belief that the reality of the phenomenon under study is out there and the answers to the questions are predetermined in the questionnaire. The study followed a cross-sectional survey in which data was collected at one point in time from the district local government. Data was collected using a questionnaire and interview methods. For quantitative analysis, SPSS was used, and the researcher also carried out statistical analyses of numeric data by counting (frequencies or percentages), grouping (tabular or graphical presentation), describing (means and standard deviation), and testing for significance (correlations). For the purpose of measurement, a questionnaire anchored on a 5-point Likert scale was used. Overall, the reliability of primary health care services was measured using five items. The statements that doctors in hospitals are reliable received a rating of mean = 2.23 and SD = 1.07. The notion that government health facilities are adequate received a mean rating of 2.28 and an SD of 1.34. This means majority of respondents acknowledged the lack of satisfaction when it comes to the delivery of health services.