SERVICE QUALITY AND PATIENTS’ SATISFACTION IN PUBLIC HEALTH CARE CENTRES IN ABUJA MUNICIPAL AREA COUNCIL

Abstract

This study examined the effect of service quality on patients’ satisfaction in public health care
centres in Abuja municipal area council (AMAC). Specifically, the study x-rayed the individual
effects of reliability, assurance and empathy on the satisfaction of patients in public health
centres in AMAC. The survey research design was adopted in this study. The population of the
study includes 150 patients selected randomly from three highly rated hospitals in AMAC area
council. The hospitals included DIV Asokoro, Federal medical centre Jabi and Maitama General
Hospital. A five-point Likert scale type of question was used to collect data for the study. The
reliability of this instrument was measured using Cronbach’s alpha. The spearman rank
correlation coefficient was used to analyse the data as well as test the hypotheses. The result of
the study revealed that reliability, assurance and empathy have positive and significant
relationships with patients’ satisfaction with public health centres in AMAC. From the findings,
the study concluded that providing high-quality services characterized by reliability, assurance
and empathy is imperative for the success of any organization in this era of globalization and
competitiveness. Thus, the study recommended that if an organization desires to survive for a
longer period it is important to do a persistent investigation of its service quality particularly, on
dimensions of reliability, assurance and empathy.