Abstract
BackgroundTo explore factors that motivate members of staff at Adventist health facilities in Malawi to maximize their potential for work and improve their welfare. This was a qualitative study that utilized group discussions and in-depth interviews with health care staff members.MethodsFour group discussions with health care workers and support staff were conducted.ResultsBoth motivating and demotivating factors were found. The motivating factors were spiritual nourishment of the institutions and working conditions with long term benefits for individuals and their families. The demotivating factors were unfair treatment without respect to staff by management. Specific areas like working condition, housing, allowances, training, communication, and personal support were highlighted as some of the factors that poorly motivated staff to stay at the health facility Further, issues related to the loose of purpose, where Christian values were seen to be deteriorating were observed to be undermining mission of the institutions.ConclusionsStaff motivation is vital in any working condition in as far as good performance at the work environment is concerned. Poor working conditions have not been exceptions among the Adventist health institutions. Based on these findings, the study recommended that conditions of services for the Adventist health facilities need to be revised and implemented accordingly; training of staff for further facility development to be intensified, communication between management and health care staff through scheduled routine meetings need to be strengthened. Spiritual nourishment through staff interaction with church officials and pastors should always be considered. A further study is needed to look at the community perceptions towards the services offered in the Adventist health facilities.
Highlights
To explore factors that motivate members of staff at Adventist health facilities in Malawi to maximize their potential for work and improve their welfare
The researcher is a director for all the health facilities which are owned by the Seventh Day Adventist Church in Malawi and is based at the head quarters of the Church
This study was performed in the following four main health facilities which are under Malawi Union of Seventh Day Adventist (SDA) Church; Malamulo hospital and Adventist Health Services (AHS) which has 17 clinics spread across the country
Summary
To explore factors that motivate members of staff at Adventist health facilities in Malawi to maximize their potential for work and improve their welfare. Razee et al, [3], identified the key social factors impacting on health workers’ motivation and performance to be the local community context, gender roles and family related issues, safety and security, health beliefs and attitudes of patients and community members. They further identified the importance of strong supportive communities and working environment on health worker motivation. The main discouraging factors were related to low salaries and difficult working conditions
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