ABSTRACT
The determinants influencing health-care utilization were investigated using Moro LGA in Kwara State as a case study. To do this, four research questions were developed. In this study, the survey design was used, as well as simple random sample procedures. The population is made up of residents from the Guma Local Government Area in Benue State. The researcher readily chose 123 inhabitants for the sample size, while 100 were returned and validated. Data was collected using a questionnaire that was self-created and validated. Frequency tables and percentages were used to examine the collected and validated questionnaires. The findings show that the extent to which health care services are available in Moro LGA, Kwara state is low. Furthermore, factors affecting the utilization of health care services in Moro LGA, Kwara state include poverty, ability and propensity to use services, geographic area of residence race and ethnicity, disability status, poor availability of health care facilities, and long waiting times in health care centers. In Moro LGA, Kwara state, health facility inefficiencies are caused by a variety of factors including inefficient service or work procedures, insufficient equipment, supplies, or infrastructure, inadequate staffing, and poor health worker motivation/know-do gap. In light of the findings, the study suggests that people should have simple access to health care by ensuring that health personnel are available when they are required. Extended wait times should be discouraged by identifying areas in the health-care delivery system that are prone to creating them, with the goal of developing alternative health-care systems that remove long stays in public facilities. This can be accomplished by incorporating health-care consumers in government decision-making processes in order to make the institution more customer-oriented. Additionally, clients of health institutions should be requested to rate the quality of care supplied on a regular basis in order to undertake periodic evaluations of the quality of care offered. To maintainably improve access to and consumption of medical services, efforts to modernize medical equipment and accompanying labor skills are required. Similarly, the cost of health-care services should be cut so that residents can get them whenever they need them.
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY
Primary health care (PHC) was created with the purpose of making health care accessible to everyone by the year 2000 and beyond. Unfortunately, this has yet to be realized in Nigeria, and it appears that achieving it in the next decade is unachievable. The PHC strives to provide basic health services to individuals all across the world. Despite the fact that PHC facilities were built in both rural and urban areas of Nigeria with the goal of equity and accessibility, rural Nigerians are severely underserved when compared to their urban counterparts. Because two-thirds of Nigerians live in rural regions, they are entitled to all aspects of primary health care. All Nigerian residents have a fundamental right to good health. Despite the fact that primary health care (PHC) clinics are fairly evenly dispersed across Nigeria’s local authority areas (LGAs), rural residents tend to underuse basic health services. This article discusses various cross-cutting difficulties in PHC and proposes solutions to increase rural people’s use of health services. PHC policymakers and the LGA should bear responsibility for maintaining the current low utilisation of PHC services. Responsible health professionals may help to create a new social order based on more equality and human dignity, in which health for all, including rural communities, will no longer be a pipe dream by 2015. The referral system is essentially non-existent, despite the fact that most PHC facilities are in varying states of disrepair, with equipment and infrastructure either missing or outmoded. The National Health Policy (1987) aims to establish a comprehensive health-care system based on primary health care that is promotive, protective, preventive, restorative, and rehabilitative to all citizens within available resources, ensuring individual and community productivity, social well-being, and enjoyment of life. PHC-based health services include, among other things, education on current health issues and techniques for preventing and controlling them, promotion of food supply and adequate nutrition, and so on. Local governments, with the cooperation of state ministries of health, are generally responsible for providing health care at the PHC level, which falls under the broader national health strategy (Nigeria Constitution, 1999). This level of care is also provided by private medical practitioners. Although PHC was believed to have achieved significant progress in the 1980s, its goal of 90% coverage was likely overly ambitious, especially given the economic strains of structural adjustment that afflicted the Nigerian economy in the late 1980s. However, numerous international donor organizations, including UNICEF, the World Health Organization (WHO), and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), have endorsed the initiative. Most of the programs were initially funded by donors. It was unsurprising that, during the height of the political crisis in 1993, the majority of them withdrew their support, causing the program to falter. The primary health care system, however, deteriorated to an untenable degree after the return to democracy in 1999. The provision of essential health services offered by the PHC, particularly in rural regions, can be used as a yardstick to assess a country’s level of health development. The purpose of this article is to discuss several measures that, if implemented, could help Nigerian rural communities make better and more timely use of PHC.
STATEMENT OF PROBLEM
Nigeria, with a population of 170 million people, is one of the world’s most populous countries, yet its health-care standards are lacking. The great majority of Nigerians live in rural regions and have limited or no access to basic necessities. Nigeria’s National Primary Health Care Development Agency, based in Abuja, says Despite significant investments, the country still has insufficient healthcare delivery infrastructures, low-quality health-care services, and uneven human resource capabilities (Adeniyi 2014). These factors are reflected in its health-care quality score of 187 out of 200 countries, as well as its inclusion among countries with some of the world’s worst health statistics. Despite serving the majority of the population, these institutions, particularly in rural regions, are unable to deliver basic and cost-effective services. According to Adeniyi (2014), low performance is due to a number of problems, including understaffed health facilities, a lack of clearly defined roles and responsibilities, a lack of political commitment, and poor accountability. Although efforts to address the quality of care as a contributory element to the country’s poor health outcomes are crucial, efforts to address the quality of care as a contributory factor to the country’s poor health outcomes receive less attention. In light of this, the purpose of this study is to look into the factors that influence the use of primary health care facilities.
OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY
The primary goal of this research is to determine the factors that influence the use of primary health care facilities. The following are some of the study’s other goals:
To determine the extent to which Nigerians use primary health care facilities.
The purpose of this study was to look into the factors that influence the use of healthcare services in Moro LGA, Kwara State.
Determine the root causes of health-care inefficiency in Moro LGA, Kwara State.
To provide solutions for increasing the utilisation of primary health care services in the Moro LGA of Kwara State.
RESEARCH QUESTIONS
This study is guided by the following research question.
In Nigeria, how widespread is the use of primary health-care facilities?
What variables influence the use of health-care services in the Moro LGA of Kwara State?
What are the reasons for the lack of adequate health facilities in Moro LGA, Kwara State?
What methods are being implemented in Moro LGA, Kwara State, to increase the use of primary health care services?
SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY
The findings of this study would assist the entities in charge of primary health care service delivery at these facilities by highlighting the factors influencing health-care utilization in Nigeria. It will also help service providers build strategies and action plans at the facility level to encourage more people to use the services that are provided. These activities will aid in the beginning of the process of improving access to health care services, which will eventually enhance everyone’s overall health in Moro LGA.
This research will add to the present body of knowledge in this field and will also act as a resource for academics, researchers, and students interested in conducting future research on the subject.
SCOPE OF THE STUDY
The purpose of this study is to determine the factors that influence the use of primary health care facilities. This research will also look into the amount to which primary health care facilities are used, as well as the factors that influence healthcare use, the underlying causes of health facility inefficiencies, and measures for increasing the use of PHC services.
Staff from primary health care facilities in Moro LGA, Kwara State, will be registered as survey participants in this study.
LIMITATION OF THE STUDY
The researchers faced several obstacles during the investigation, including a lack of funds, insufficient supplies, and a time limitation.
This study was also limited to Moro LGA in Kwara State, necessitating additional research if it is to be applied elsewhere.
DEFINITION OF TERMS
Primary Health Care (PHC) is health care offered in the community to people who seek advice or treatment from a medical practitioner or clinic for the first time.
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