Health care service quality: a comparison of public and private hospitals in karachi

ABSTRACT

The objective of the study was to compare the levels of patient satisfaction with the health service quality between the public and private hospitals in Karachi, so that their gaps, if any, may be identified and incorporated in future programs and policies. Cross sectional comparative study. This study was conducted in one public and one private hospitals in Karachi from May 2013 to July 2013. A random sample of 400 patients, 200 each from both public and private hospitals was drawn. Data was collected, on a pre-tested and pre coded questionnaire, and analyzed using SPSS version 16.0 level of satisfaction between patients in both the public and private health care settings were compared. The results of the study revealed that 75% of the patients availing health care services at the public hospital were not satisfied with the overall hygiene and cleanliness. 58.5% of the patients at public hospital were not involved in decision making regarding their own treatment. As for the patients availing services at the private hospital, 83.5% mentioned that they were provided with adequate privacy by their physician and hospital staff;however, 51% of the respondents replied that they had to pay huge medical bills which were beyond their affordability. Significant difference was found in the patients' satisfaction level with the quality of health care services provided in the private and public hospitals, with private hospitals performing better in most of the aspects of health care service delivery