Supply Chain Management Practices and Patients’ Satisfaction in Public Healthcare Centers in Ghana – A Study
Keywords:
Health care, Patient satisfaction (PS), Public healthcare system, Supply chain management (SCM)Abstract
This study looks into how supply chain management (SCM) procedures affect patient satisfaction (PS) in Ghanaian public health facilities. In particular, it looks at how good SCM practices improve patient experiences, lower service delivery delays, and improve healthcare performance in the public health sector. SCM strategies have been extensively researched in manufacturing and private-sector settings, but there is little empirical data on their application to public healthcare systems in underdeveloped nations, especially in sub-Saharan Africa. The majority of earlier research has concentrated on patient care and clinical service quality, frequently ignoring supply chain systems, which constitute the operational foundation of healthcare delivery. By presenting empirical data from Ghana, this paper fills that vacuum by demonstrating how SCM practices have a direct impact on patient happiness and healthcare performance in public hospitals with limited resources. 371 respondents were surveyed using structured questionnaires as part of a quantitative research strategy. A total of 2,600 employees and patients from twelve public hospitals spread throughout three Ghanaian regional capitals made up the responders. To guarantee equitable representation, a straightforward random selection method was used. The collected data were analysed to assess the relationships between SCM practices, supply chain performance, and patient satisfaction in the selected healthcare facilities. The findings showed that public healthcare facilities' operational performance and efficiency are greatly improved by implementing sound and efficient SCM techniques. Supply chain performance and SCM techniques were found to be strongly positively correlated, and this had a major positive impact on patient satisfaction. The results highlight the necessity for legislators and hospital administrators to prioritize the adoption of effective SCM systems. In Ghana's public health sector, strengthening SCM processes can be a strategic lever to improve patient experiences, decrease inefficiencies, and improve healthcare delivery.
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