Bewunetu Zewude
In many lower- and middle-income countries, engagement of health professionals in dual practices is very common mainly due to the fact that the amount of salary earned from working in public hospitals is not sufficient for good standard of living. The present study was meant to analyze the patterns of practices and impacts of public-private practice in Shashemene town, West Arsi zone of oromia regional state.
Ample qualitative data were collected using depth interview and focus group discussion methods. 20 health care professionals, a record and documentation officer, 3 managers of public health facilities, and 18 patients seeking treatments in the private wing were interviewed from three public health facilities selected through purposive sampling technique. The collected data were thematically analyzed and presented in a narrative manner.
The highest share of income from the private wing goes to the health professionals though it didn’t save them to engage in multiple jobholding practices. Impact on quality of health services for public patients due to boredom, exhaustion, and tardiness of physicians in dual practice, unfair distribution of benefits and burdens, and cream-skimming are the challenges faced. Above all, besides providing patients additional alternative of treatment, public-private practice couldn’t achieve its goal of retaining physicians.
With qualified practitioners still in the mood of constantly searching better way outs from the public sector, it is important that the Federal Ministry of Health monitor and evaluate its project to come up with remedies.
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