A pilot survey on factors limiting veterinary service delivery systems at animal health facilities in Hawassa, Shashemene, and Negele Arsi, Ethiopia

Abstract

A pilot questionnaire survey was carried out from December 2021 to June 2022 at animal health facilities in Hawassa city and Shashemene and Negele Arsi towns in Ethiopia. The objective of the survey was to determine what factors in the study area limited the provision of veterinary services at animal health facilities like veterinary clinics, veterinary pharmacies, and veterinary administrative offices. Government veterinary staff, clinical veterinarians, and private veterinary pharmacists were purposefully chosen based on their availability at each study area, whereas livestock owners (clients) were chosen at random at the point of service. A semi-structured questionnaire with multiple-choice and open-ended questions was administered to 100 study participants. It was discovered that the public sector was generally preferred by 74% of livestock owners and the private sector was preferred by 26%. In terms of infrastructurecoverage, the current animal health service delivery system was found to be deficient (35.7%). Drug shortages were a major problem for most public veterinary service providers (66.7%), while expensive drug prices were a problem for private veterinary service providers (34.0%). Additionally, it was determined that poor management (57.1%), a lack of funding (14.3%), a lack of commitment (28.6%), and a lack of attention to the veterinary sector (78.6%) were among the factors that hindered the provision of proper veterinary services in these areas. To carry out efficient veterinary clinical activities, the existing public veterinary institutions should be given sufficient financial resources,qualified personnel, and physical resources.