COMMUNITY SATISFACTION WITH PRIMARY HEALTH-CARE SERVICES - AN EVALUATION UNDERTAKEN IN THE MOROGORO REGION OF TANZANIA

Satisfaction is an important element of the quality of health care, of ten determining patient willingness to comply with treatment and influ encing the effectiveness of care. However, few specific assessments of patient satisfaction in developing countries have been undertaken. Th is paper presents findings from such a study, carried out in Tanzania and primarily undertaken through the use of qualitative interviewing t echniques. The study illustrates the perceived problems of the care av ailable, such as structural and inter-personal skill failings, both of which were seen to influence drug availability and maternal services- key weaknesses of the available care. Health centres were perceived to be little better than dispensaries. Although church health care was g enerally perceived to be better than government care, there was consid erable variation in community judgements and clear signs of poor quali ty church care. The use of villagers' own words and experiences brough t into sharp focus the problems they experience in relation to health care and allow planning lessons are identified.