FACTORS INFLUENCING THE UTILISATION OF PRIMARY HEALTH CARE SERVICES AMONG RESIDENTS OF HADEJIA LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREA, JIGAWA STATE

Abstract

In order to improve community health and lessen the strain on secondary and tertiary healthcare facilities, it is imperative that basic healthcare services be accessible and used. Citizens in many countries have limited access to primary healthcare. Many factors contribute to this condition, such as a lack of resources, the distance to primary care, and the reluctance of government healthcare authorities to consider community input on healthcare needs. The study assessed respondents' knowledge, identified the available services in PHCs using an observational checklist, and then found out the proportion of residents who utilized PHC services and determined factors influencing the utilization of PHC services (PHCCs). A cross-sectional design was adopted, and 384 participants were selected in six wards from the local government area. A multi-stage sampling procedure was used. After receiving approval from the relevant authority and the participant's assent, a questionnaire was utilized to gather information from the respondents. The questionnaire proved to be a valid and dependable tool for the research. SPSS version 25.0 was used to analyse the data, and chi-square testing at the 0.05 level of significance was used to evaluate the null hypothesis. Findings were that women outnumbered men by a factor of two, and over half of the participants were in their highly fertile age range of 20 to 39 years. 89.5 percent of the participants acknowledged the presence of PHCCs. Over 80% of those surveyed said they comprehended the services provided by PHCCs. From the observational checklist, inadequate infrastructure, such as water supply, waste management facilities, and medical equipment like thermometers and blood pressure machines, was identified. The majority of respondents (67.9%) do not use the primary health care centres (PHCCs) that are available, despite having a high level of knowledge and awareness. The study identified potential barriers to use, such as a lack of experienced staff, distance, and inadequate infrastructure, as reasons for non-utilization or inadequate utilization. Conclusively, the study revealed that there was a strong correlation between utilization and demographic traits, distance and utilization, as well as respondent knowledge and level of utilization of PHCCs.