Service quality and customer satisfaction in healthcare delivery: A comparative study of public and private hospitals in Ghana

Abstract

The 21st century has witnessed a dramatic growth in the services sector. One service sector that has advanced significantly is the health sector. In Ghana, health care delivery, particularly infrastructural development, has improved significantly over the past 10 to 15 years. However, its reflection in quality health service to the customer and customer satisfaction has not received much attention. This study was carried out to explore how satisfied the health service customer is and the quality of services delivered. It was also to compare public and private hospitals on these variables. A survey instrument on variables of service quality and customer satisfaction was used to collect data from some selected private and public hospitals within the Accra Metropolis. It was hypothesized that there would be no significant differences between public and private hospitals on service quality and customer satisfaction. The study however, found that there are differences in sendee quality and customer satisfaction dimensions between public and private hospitals. The findings suggest that in general quality of service delivery and customer satisfaction are relatively better in private hospitals than public hospitals, and that public hospitals need more improvement in service quality and customer satisfaction.