Health Provider Characteristics and Choice of Health Care Facility among Ghanaian Health Seekers

Abstract

—Although largely controlled by government, Ghana's health delivery system has witnessed dramatic growth in private sector participation. This growth is important for consumers of health care because it provides a wide range of choices, while informing health providers, through consumer feedback, of the quality indicators relevant for improving their services. For consumers of health care, measuring and monitoring quality based on health provider characteristics is crucial to making appropriate choices, especially because these have implications for morbidity, mortality, and longevity. There is limited research in sub-Saharan Africa, and Ghana in particular, that examines how health provider characteristics associate with choice of health facility. Using recently collected data from the Ghana Demographic and Health Survey and employing random intercept models, we fill this research void. Results showed that Ghanaian men and women who were satisfied with wait time at the health facility were significantly more likely to have visited private health facilities compared to public health facilities. Similarly, Ghanaian women who appeared satisfied with conditions at the health facility and accessibility of the health facility were significantly more likely to have visited private hospitals compared to public hospitals. This study provides important evidence to policy makers and major stakeholders in the public health sector of the need for quality adjustments and the relevance of improving health care delivery in the public health facilities.