Service quality in public and private hospitals in urban Bangladesh: a comparative study

This study compared the quality of services provided by private and public hospitals in urban Bangladesh. Using twenty-four scale items, patient perce ptions were sought on five aspects of service quality including responsiven ess, assurance, communication, discipline and baksheesh. Because private ho spitals are not subsidized, it was felt that the incentive structure would induce them to provide better services than public hospitals on the measure s of service quality. This contention was largely supported. The results al so indicated that both groups have room for improvement. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.