The Perception of Stakeholders towards Services Provided By Primary Health Care in Khartoum State, Sudan

Abstract

Background: Sudan is a signatory country to Alma Ata Declaration and Primary Health Care (PHC) had been established since 1979. Although a lot of improvement is claimed to be achieved in PHC, some of the areas might be still far below the expectations. The objective of this study was to investigate the perception of the PHC stakeholders in Khartoum State about the PHC services provided and the adequacy of facilities used.

Materials and Methods: This is a cross-sectional descriptive study conducted in Khartoum State, Sudan, between June and October 2015. A structured questionnaire was administered to a sample of PHC stakeholders. A 3-point Likert scale was used to indicate the quality of the different services provided and the facilities present. SPSS version 20 was used for analysis to calculate relevant descriptive statistical parameters.

Results: Vaccination and care for pregnant ladies were perceived by respondents as present and adequate (100% and 95%, respectively). The other services that are perceived as adequate include: child health care, health education, chronic illness, drugs availability and the referral system. In sanitation services and feedback about patients referred to hospitals, only 20% and 4% were satisfied, respectively.

Conclusion: Most of the PHC services were perceived as adequate by the respondents from Khartoum State. The services and facilities that were perceived as inadequate include sanitation services, communicable diseases, the referral system and provision of dental services.

Key words: primary health care (PHC), stakeholders.