SATISFACTION WITH OUTPATIENT HEALTH-CARE SERVICES IN MANICA PROVINCE,MOZAMBIQUE

The objective of the study was to describe ambulatory health care serv ices, determine the level of client satisfaction, and identify obstacl es to care in a rural area of Mozambique. Exit surveys at 34 health cl inics in Manica Province were completed on a sample of 879 adults repr esenting between 1% and 2% of the average monthly visit totals at each clinic. Eighty-three per cent of interviewees were women. Just over h alf of the visits were for paediatric patients. Men were more likely t o be at the clinic for their own health care needs than women (81% vs. 40%, p <0.001). Of patients seen for acute illness, 45% were examined , 22% received preventive education, and 23% received prognostic infor mation. Overall, 55% of interviewees believed that the service they re ceived was good or very good, 32% rated it as fair, and 13% as poor. S atisfaction was positively associated with increased training level of the provider (p < 0.005), and shorter waiting times (p < 0.001). The most common complaints about the clinic visits were lack of adequate t ransportation, long waiting times, lack of physical examinations, and failure to receive prescribed medications. These findings suggest that the majority of Mozambicans interviewed are moderately satisfied with the available outpatient services in Manica. Provider training, provi der availability and distribution of medicines were areas identified b y respondents as needing improvement.