Original Research Article
Year: 2019 | Month: January | Volume: 9 | Issue: 1 | Pages: 200-209
Identifying Perception Gap in Utilization of Services by Patients & Their Family Members in Government and Private Hospitals of West Bengal
Reeti Debnath1, Sumati Ray2
1Asst. Professor, Department of Healthcare Management, NSHM College of Management and Technology, Maulana Abul Kalam Azad University of Technology, Kolkata, West Bengal
2Professor, Dept. of Master in Business Administration, Indian Institute of Social Welfare & Business Management, University of Calcutta, Kolkata, West Bengal
Corresponding Author: Reeti Debnath
ABSTRACT
Health and education are among the basic capabilities that adds value to the human life. Good health of the citizens is a fundamental driver for economic growth and development of any country. India’s healthcare system is challenging, primarily because of its huge population size, economic and social factors coupled with the increasing burden of both communicable and non communicable diseases. While there has been significant improvement in some of the major health indicators over the last two decades, our pace of progress has been inadequate as a nation. Public hospitals are heavily utilized by lower income groups of the society, up to more than 90 percent in case of free patients. Recent times have seen the emergence of private entities, bringing in more competition in the sector. The purpose of this study is to find out whether there are any significant perception gaps in utilization of services by patients and their family members in government and private hospitals of West Bengal. It also aims to determine the factors that are significant with patient satisfaction and identifies the challenges that impact on satisfactory service delivery in the healthcare facilities. Significant differences were found to exist in the perception and utilization of services in both types of facilities. Good patient services, information about patient’s treatment and care, doctor’s care and attention were found to be significant with patient satisfaction.
Key words: satisfaction, service, perception, patient, government, private