scholarly journals An Analysis of Service Provision Standards in Primary Health Care Facilities of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (3) ◽  
pp. 317-327
Author(s):  
Rizwan Khurshid ◽  
Malik Fahim Bashir ◽  
Yasir Bin Tariq

This study explores the on-ground facilities available at primary healthcare facilities (PHCFs) against the service quality standards set by the provincial government of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), Pakistan. Primary data through a structured questionnaire was collected from 109 PHCFs. Two hundred seven responses from patients, 109 responses from PHCFs doctors and medical staff, and 109 researcher’s observations were recorded. Most service provision standards were met in rural health centres (RHCs) and basic health units (BHUs). However, the situation at civil dispensaries (CDs) was very alarming. Patients preferred RHCs on BHUs and CDs because of relatively better quality services provided in RHCs. However, in general, patients prefer to go to secondary or tertiary health care facilities due to the number of reasons identified by this study. Among the areas which demand quality improvement include cultural constraints, lack of following standard operating procedures (SOPs) for referral, no transport facility to referred patients, higher waiting time for patients, and no or fewer health education sessions, and unavailability of cold chain and waste disposal system. By addressing problem areas identified by this study, the KP government can reduce the patient burden on secondary and tertiary health facilities. As a result, service quality at PHCFs will improve access to primary health care, a world health organization’s millennium development goal, and the united nations’ sustainable development goal.

2015 ◽  
Vol 31 (2) ◽  
pp. 250-258 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mary-Anne Ahiabu ◽  
Britt P Tersbøl ◽  
Richard Biritwum ◽  
Ib C Bygbjerg ◽  
Pascal Magnussen

Author(s):  
Alexandro Pinto ◽  
Luciana Sepúlveda Köpcke ◽  
Renata David ◽  
Hannah Kuper

Poor accessibility of healthcare facilities is a major barrier for people with disabilities when seeking care. Yet, accessibility is rarely routinely audited. This study reports findings from the first national assessment of the accessibility of primary health care facilities, undertaken in Brazil. A national accessibility audit was conducted by trained staff of all 38,812 primary healthcare facilities in Brazil in 2012, using a 22-item structured questionnaire. An overall accessibility score was created (22 items), and three sub-scales: external accessibility (eight items), internal accessibility (eight items), information accessibility (six items). The main finding is that the overall accessibility score of primary care facilities in Brazil was low (mean of 22, standard deviation (SD) of 0.21, on a 0–100 scale). Accessibility of different aspects of the healthcare facilities was also low, including external space (mean = 31.0, SD = 2.0), internal space (18.9, 1.9) and accessibility features for people with other visual or hearing impairments (6.3, SD = 1.0). Scores were consistently better in the least poor regions of Brazil and in facilities in larger municipality size (indicating more urban areas). In conclusion, large-scale accessibility audits are feasible to undertake. Poor accessibility means that people with disabilities will experience difficulties in accessing healthcare, and this is a violation of their rights according to international and Brazilian laws.


PEDIATRICS ◽  
1981 ◽  
Vol 68 (5) ◽  
pp. 677-683
Author(s):  
R. Giel ◽  
M. V. de Arango ◽  
C. E. Climent ◽  
T. W. Harding ◽  
H. H. A. Ibrahim ◽  
...  

To ascertain the frequency of mental disorders in Sudan, Philippines, India, and Colombia, 925 children attending primary health care facilities were studied. Rates of between 12% and 29% were found in the four study areas. The range of mental disorders diagnosed was similar to that encountered in industrialized countries. The research procedure involved a two-stage screening in which a ten-item "reporting questionnaire" constituted the first stage. The study has shown that mental disorders are common among children attending primary health care facilities in four developing countries and that accompanying adults (usually the mothers) readily recognize and report common psychologic and behavioral symptoms when these are solicited by means of a simple set of questions. Despite this, the primary health workers themselves recognized only between 10% and 22% of the cases of mental disorder. The results have been used to design appropriate brief training courses in childhood mental disorders for primary health workers in the countries participating in the study.


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