Quality of health service in the local government authorities in Tanzania: a perspective of the healthcare seekers from Dodoma City and Bahi District councils

Abstract

Background: Improvement and access to quality healthcare are a global agenda. Sustainable Development Goal (SDG-3) is committed to ensuring good health and well-being of the people by 2030. However, this commitment heavily depends on joint efforts by local authorities and the immediate service providers to communities. This paper is set to inform the status of health service provision in local authorities in Tanzania using the determinants for quality health services in Dodoma City and Bahi District. Methods: A cross-sectional research design was employed to collect data from 400 households in the Local Government Authorities. The five-service quality (SERVQUAL) dimensions of Parasuraman were adopted to gauge the quality of service in public healthcare facilities. Descriptive statistics were used to compute the frequency and mean of the demographic information and the quality of health services, respectively. A binary logistic regression model was used to establish the influence of the demographic dimensions on the quality of health services. Findings: The findings revealed that quality health services have not been realised for healthcare seekers. Further, the area of residence, education, and occupation are significantly associated with the perceived quality of health service delivery in the Local Government Authorities. Conclusion: The healthcare facilities under the LGAs offer services whose quality is below the healthcare seekers’ expectations. The study recommends that the Local Government Authorities in Tanzania strengthen the monitoring and evaluation of health service delivery in public healthcare facilities.