Investigation of the experiences and satisfaction levels of pilgrim candidates benefiting from the health services provided by the Presidency of Religious Affairs During the hajj period

Turkiye has achieved a globally recognized health system structure with the large investments made in the field of health and the establishment of a culture of quality in health. As a part of this structure, health services during Hajj stand out as a free health service provided by one country to its own citizens in another country without compromising on quality. In this study, it is aimed to investigate the satisfaction levels of the patients who benefit from the health services provided in the Diyanet Hospital established during the pilgrimage period in holly Makkah. Thus, while determining the quality level of the service provided, it is aimed to identify and improve the missing and potential aspects that are open to improvement. The population and sample of the cross-sectional analytical study consisted of 955 people who voluntarily participated among 59757 applications made to the Religious Hospital in Mecca while performing their pilgrimage duty in 2023 and were determined using the Convenience Sampling Method. The data obtained with the Patient Satisfaction Questionnaire on a 5-point Likert scale were tested with the necessary statistical analyzes, and a high level of satisfaction was determined in all sub-dimensions, including physical environment (4.36±0.78), general satisfaction (4.57±0.67), staff satisfaction (4.65±0.67) and time dimensions (4.56±0.73). In addition, it was determined that there was no statistically significant difference between the gender of the patients and the sub-dimensions of patient satisfaction, the mean score of 'Physical Environment Satisfaction' was higher in married patients than in single patients and statistically significant, the mean score of the Physical Environment Satisfaction sub-dimension of the patients in the occupational group of workers was higher than the patients in all other occupational groups, and there was a statistically significant but very weak relationship between the educational status of the patients and their satisfaction levels (P<0.05). Based on these findings, recommendations have been developed to increase the efficiency of health services in Hajj and to further improve the quality.