Public and private hospitals in Cameroon : service quality and patients' choice of hospitals

ABSTRACT: As many governments struggle to find the necessary resources to invest in the public healthcare system, private healthcare providers are becoming an important alternative for patients. Service quality has become a very important concept in healthcare. However, there is a paucity of research conducted in this area in African countries. This study tries to identify important factors customers consider when choosing a healthcare provider. It also applies the SERVQUAL model to compare the level of service quality provided by public and private hospitals in the Northwest Region of Cameroon. Furthermore, it looks at customers overall level of satisfaction with the services, their repurchase intentions and their recommendation of the service to others. A total of 244 hospital users in Cameroon responded to a 3 part questionnaire in English. The findings of the study revealed that generally, there was no difference between public and private hospitals users in terms of selection factors. Customers’ expectations from both types of hospitals were low. A significant relationship was found between service quality dimensions and overall customer satisfaction. A positive significant relationship also existed between overall customers’ satisfaction, loyalty and positive word of mouth. There is overall dissatisfaction with both customers who can and those who cannot afford healthcare in Cameroon. This is a surprise finding especially for private healthcare providers who need to improve the quality of service they offer to the elite group of customers who are willing to pay for it. As for the public sector, the government needs to invest more resources towards improving the services of public hospitals. …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………