Abstract
Aim
The contribution of the private for-profit sector healthcare provider, along with public and NGOs in Bangladesh’s healthcare system is paramount to health gains. All three play a vital role in the quality of health care, service provision, and accessibility for vulnerable populations. This study investigates the strengths and weaknesses of different health facility types regarding service readiness in Bangladesh according to geography, management type, and divisions.
Subject and Methods
Using data from the Bangladesh Health Facility Survey 2017, composite readiness scores were calculated across various healthcare facilities by management type along with multivariate regression analysis to assess the relationship between covariates and the dependent variable.
Findings
The average general service readiness score of health facilities in Bangladesh was 47.3% (ranging from diagnostic capacity = 19.5% to basic equipment = 75.9%). General service readiness for private hospitals are higher than union, upazila, and district level public facilities. Health facilities located in rural areas had significantly lower general readiness scores than urban areas. Facilities integrating feedback mechanisms and quality assurance activities had higher general service readiness scores of 2.6% and 2.1%, respectively.
Conclusion
Key gaps in diagnostic capacity and essential medicine readiness were identified, while consistent readiness is noted around basic amenities, equipment, and standard precautions. Higher readiness in private and urban facilities were also noted. These findings uncovered priority areas to support design efforts around achieving universal health coverage in neglected regions and can be utilized for policy development and financial investment efforts for healthcare provision at the primary level, particularly for rural and public facilities.
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SSY and KA conceptualized the study. KA and AA conducted full data analysis and results write up. SSY and RA worked extensively on overall manuscript writing and editing. All authors contributed equally to the discussions section.
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Yusuf, S.S., Acharya, K., Ahmed, R. et al. Understanding general health service readiness and its correlates in the health facilities of Bangladesh: evidence from the Bangladesh Health Facility Survey 2017. J Public Health (Berl.) 30, 2835–2846 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10389-021-01522-0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10389-021-01522-0