Quality of maternal healthcare services at health facilities: perceptions of the healthcare users: case study of Acholi and West Nile Region

Abstract

This study aims to analyze the quality of maternal healthcare services: perceptions of the healthcare users in Acholi and West Nile region in Uganda. This study was a secondary data analysis and it utilized data obtained from Uganda National Household Survey 2016/17 (UNHS). The results indicated that 50.35% of the healthcare users were females compared to their male counterparts. Furthermore, 50.83% of the healthcare users were aged between 15 to 19 years. Majority of the respondents (90.5%) were Ugandans. Additionally, waiting time (p = 0.000), health worker listening to the user’s concerns (p = 0.000), health worker treating you with courtesy and respect (p = 0.029), and cleanliness of the facility (p = 0.001) had a positive significant effect with health workers taking time to provide services. It was concluding that the waiting time is the major determinant of how satisfactory the quality of maternal healthcare services offered at the health facilities are. Other significant factors included health workers listening to the user’s concerns, attitude of health worker to the user in general, cleanliness of the facility and the overall friendliness of the service to young people. The study recommends that the community-based organizations should be developed and well-coordinated to help people especially the girls and young women to share and solve their problems such as increasing the presence of a companion during the whole hospitalization, improve bathroom and showers, improve communication from staff and improve staff professionalism, empathy and kindness. The government should make a must standard quality to be met by every health facility concerning maternal services.