Effect of Administrative Decentralisation in Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital on the Performance of the Medical Subbudget Management Centre.

Abstract

The concept of decentralisation has become a catch word not only within health sector reform strategies, but also in the overall policy and theoretical debates underpinning development. Community participation is a crucial ingredient for the development of responsive health-care systems both in high and low income countries. Objective(s) The study explored the administrative effects of decentralisation on the Medical sub-Budget Management Centre of the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital. Methods An explorative descriptive method (quantitative research) was employed in the study. Questionnaires were used to obtain views from health managers at the various levels in the Hospital. The research assessed performance of the independent variables like governance, finance, human resource and procurement. The quantitative data resulting from the structured questionnaires was analysed using SPSS version 18.00 and a bivariate analysis was done examining the relationships between the independent and the dependent variables. Results The results are presented as frequencies and percentages in tables. They are examined section by section, considering human resource issues, financial sustainability, governance challenges, procurement procedure, decentralisation issues and bivariate relationships between the independent and dependent variables analysed. Conclusion / Recommendations The study concluded that, based on the descriptive and bivariate analysis from the results and discussions, there was no administrative effect of decentralisation on the Medical sub- BMC of the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital. It is recommended that this study be broadened beyond the scope of managers and unit heads in future studies.