Jamaicans Satisfied with Service at Public Hospitals, Unhappy with Waiting Time, Access to Pharmacy, Lab and X-Ray

A National Customer Service Survey commissioned by the Ministry of Health and Environment, has found that while most Jamaicans are satisfied with the service provided at public hospitals, they are displeased with the waiting time, and access to laboratory and X-ray services and pharmaceutical supplies.
Permanent Secretary in the Ministry, Dr. Grace Allen-Young, who revealed the results of the survey to hospital administrators at a recent meeting at the Terra Nova hotel, said that 87 per cent of outpatients, who were interviewed about their overall satisfaction with services offered at the hospital to which they were admitted, said they were satisfied.
Ninety-four (94) per cent indicated their satisfaction with the availability of information; 92 per cent said that doctors were courteous to patients; and 88 per cent said they were satisfied with the attitude of nurses to patients.
“However, we see 61 per cent indicating that they were dissatisfied because of the response to patients complaints and 42 per cent indicated that they were dissatisfied with the waiting time for services, which suggests that although there is an high overall satisfaction, there are some things like waiting time and services at the lab, pharmacy and X-ray department, which take that total down,” she noted.
In the case of the health centres, 93 per cent of the respondents expressed satisfaction with the service offered at those facilities, but there were complaints about attitude of staff and waiting time for services.
“So it does appear from the empirical data that the areas to which we need to pay greater attention are the waiting time for services, response to complaints as well as supplies in terms of the laboratories, pharmacy and X-ray. This sets the framework for future plans and integration of our services for primary and secondary care,” the Permanent Secretary stated.
The survey was conducted by the Sir Arthur Lewis Institute of Social and Economic Studies at the University of the West Indies, Mona campus.