Availability of Specialists in Hospitals and the Health Care Delivery System in Uganda

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to empirically document the significance of hospital specialists to health care service delivery using Iganga General Hospital in Uganda. The objectives are to determine the relationship between the availability of specialists who provide technical advice in the following area. For instance, areas of (i) child health care; (ii) maternal health care; (iii) STI/HIV/AIDS services; (iv) tuberculosis services; and (v) outpatient curative services and quality service delivery in the hospital. To establish the relationship between the availability of specialists who provide services in the areas of drug and equipment dispensing, supervision. And further, hospital infrastructure management; and (iv) capacity to train and develop others and quality service delivery in the hospital; and (3) assess the overall effect of the availability of hospital specialists on the quality of service delivery in the above-identified sections of the Hospital. Results revealed that there is a significant relationship between the availability of specialists in providing technical advice in the following five areas. Significant associations were registered between availability of specialists in the three areas, and multiple regression revealed that it is the only specialist capacity to train and develop others that significantly influences the service delivery process in the hospital. It was concluded that specialists availability significantly influences quality service delivery hence the need for government to ensure that specialists are availed and directed to perform as expected.