Job Satisfaction of Health Assistants in Selected Upazila Health Complexes of Bangladesh

Abstract

Health assistants play an important role in providing primary health care among the rural population in Bangladesh. Their improper working performance can hamper the entire nations’ health care. Proper productivity is related to the job satisfaction and job satisfaction is the result of attitude and behavior. The purpose of this study was to assess the job satisfaction level among health assistants working in selected Upazila Health Complex (UHC). 203 health assistants were interviewed through purposive sampling technique from four UHCs in the Dhaka district. Out of 203 respondents, 114 were female and 89 were male where Mean± SD was 38.80 ±7.62. The highest 109 (53.7%) participants had 1-10 years of working experience and 104 (51.2%) respondents had monthly income between 18000 -23000 BDTK. The percentage of neutral, satisfied and unsatisfied participants’ was 65%, 28% and 7%, respectively. There was significant (P < 0.05) relationship between job satisfaction and getting medical allowance, training opportunity and salary. Job nature such as security, meaningless, pride and enjoying, support colleagues such as supervisor and coworkers, acceptance by both the community and oneself were identified as the satisfied items where low and fair opportunities for promotion, low increment, and low pay, no praise, high work pressure, and null administrative capacity were found as dissatisfied factors of job. On the basis of these findings, policy makers and concerned authorities could take necessary steps for increasing the level of job satisfaction of health assistants.