DETERMINANTS AND PATTERN OF HEALTH CARE SERVICES UTILISATION IN POST GRADUATE STUDENTS

Authors

  • Iram Manzoor
  • Noreen Rahat Hashmi
  • Fatima Mukhtar

Abstract

Background: The health care utilisation of a population is dependent on their health seeking behaviour
which is determined by their physical, political, socio-economic and socio-cultural aspects. Objectives:
This particular study is conducted to identify the determinants and the patterns of health services
utilisation by the postgraduate students of Allama Iqbal Open University in Pakistan. It was a crosssectional study and conducted from December 2008 to April 2009 in Allama Iqbal Open University
Islamabad. Methods: A non-probability convenience sampling was done in post graduate students who
were enrolled for Masters Degree at Allama Iqbal Open University Islamabad. Data was collected on a
self administered, pre-tested questionnaire to identify the pattern of utilisation of health care services by
this educated class. Data was labelled and entered in SPSS version 16. Chi-square test is applied as a
test of significance with fixing the p value at 0.05 as significant. Results: Only 129 students 32 males,
97 females) out of 250 responded to the questionnaire with the response rate of only 51.6%. The sociodemographic profile of the participants shows that 71 (55%) belong to age group 20-29 years, followed
by 43 (33.3%) in age group 30-39 years. The marital status of the participants had a significant
association with selection of health care services (p=0.04). Twenty-four (75%) of the males and 67
(65%) of the females were using private sector facilities. Age, marital status and income of the study
subjects had significant association with selection of the provider with p values of 0.000, 0.047 and
0.051 respectively. Conclusion: The health care system in Pakistan comprises the public as well as
private health facilities. In Pakistan vast majority of doctors resides in urban area and attracts the
educated class towards private sector. Utilisation of public health care facility is not the main priority of
the educated class of the country. Government officials should pay attention to make it more convenient
for general public.
Keywords: Utilisation, Health Care Services, Pakistan

References

Shah NA, Nisar N, Qadri MH. Awareness and pattern of

utilizing family planning services among women attending

Urban Health Care Center Azizabad Sukkur. Pak J Med Sci

;24:550-5.

Report of the Health System Review Mission-Pakistan.

Islamabad: World Health Organization, United Nations

Children Fund, Department for International Development,

United Kingdom, The World Bank; February 19-28, 2007.

Akram M, Khan FJ. Health Care Services and Government

Spending in Pakistan. Islamabad: Pakistan institute of

development economics. PIDE working papers. 2007:32

Shaikh TB, Hatcher J. Health seeking behavior and health

service utilization in Pakistan: challenging the policy makers.

J Public Health 2004;27(1):49-54.

Fatimi Z, Avan I. Demographic, Socio-economic and

environmental determinants of utilization of antenatal care in

rural setting of Sindh, Pakistan. J Pak Med Assoc

;52:138-142.

Blackwell DL, Martinez ME, Gentleman JF, Sanmartin C,

Berthelot JM. Socioeconomic status and utilization of health

care services in Canada and the United States: findings from

a binational health survey. Med Care 2009;47:1136-46.

Kazanjian A, Morettin D, Cho R. Health care utilization by

Canadian women. BMC Women's Health 2004;4(Suppl

:S33.

Rizvi N, Nishtar S. Pakistan's health policy: Appropriateness

and relevance to women's health needs. Health Policy

;88:269-81.

Shaikh TB, Hatcher J. Complementary and alternative

medicine in Pakistan: prospects and limitations. Evid Based

Complement Alternat Med 2005;2(2):139-42.

Hussain SA, Saeed A, Ahmed M, Qazi A. Contemporary role

and future prospects of medicinal plants in the health care

system and pharmaceutical industries of Pakistan. Available

at: http://www.telmedpak.com/doctorsarticles.

Shaikh BT. Hatcher J. Where do they go, whom do they

consult, and why? Health-Seeking Behaviors in the Northern

Areas of Pakistan. Health. Qual Health Res. 2008;18:747-55.

J Ayub Med Coll Abbottabad 2009;21(3)

http://www.ayubmed.edu.pk/JAMC/PAST/21-3/Iram.pdf 105

Balaji R, Dilip T.R., Duggal R. Utilization of and Expenditure

on Delivery Care Services: Some Observations from Nashik

District, Maharashtra. WHO Regional Health Forum WHO

South-East Asia Region. 2003;7(2). Available at:

http://www.searo.who.int/en/Section1243/Section1310/Section

/Section1344/Section1672_7149.htm

Janjua NZ, Akhtar S, Hutin YJ. Injection use in two districts

of Pakistan: implications for disease prevention. Int J Qual

Health Care 2005;17:401-8.

Janjua NZ, Khan MI, Usman HR, Azam I, Khalil M, Ahmad

K Pattern of health care utilization and determinants of careseeking from GPs in two districts of Pakistan.. Southeast

Asian J Trop Med Public Health. 2006;37:1242-53.

Shaikh BT, Haran D, Hatcher J. Women's social position and

health-seeking behaviors: is the health care system accessible

and responsive in Pakistan? Health Care Women Int

;29:945-59.

Zwi AB. Private health care in developing countries. Br Med

J 2001;323:464-6.

Bhattia JC, Cleland J. Health care seeking and expenditure by

young Indian mothers in the public and private sectors.

Health Policy Plan 2001;16:55-61.

World Bank. Pakistan Poverty Assessment. Poverty in

Pakistan: vulnerabilities, social gaps, and rural dynamics.

Poverty Reduction and Economic Management Sector Unit

South Asia Region, 2002.

Women's Health Surveillance Report 1 HEALTH CARE

UTILIZATION by Canadian Women, Advisory Committee

on Women's Health Surveillance. Women's health

surveillance: a plan of action for Health Canada. Ottawa:

Minister of Public Works and Government Services Canada,

Qidwai W, Azam SI, Ali SS. The utilization of services of

health care providers among patients presenting to family

physicians at a teaching hospital in Karachi, Pakistan. J Pak

Med Assoc 2002;52:269-71.

Arcury TA, Gesler WM, Preisser JS. Sherman J, Spencer J,

Perin J The Effects of Geography and Spatial Behavior on

Health Care Utilization among the Residents of a Rural

Region. Health Serv Res 2005;40:135-56.

Goldman N, Heuveline P. Health seeking behavior for child

illness in Guatemala. Trop Med Int Health 2000;5:145-55.

Rani M, Bonu S. Rural Indian women's care seeking

behavior and choice of provider for gynecological symptoms.

Stud Fam Plann 2003;34:173-85.

Sadiq H, Muynck AD. Health care seeking behavior of

pulmonary tuberculosis patients visiting Rawalpindi. J Pak

Med Assoc 2002;51:10-26.

Downloads

Published

2009-09-01

How to Cite

Manzoor, I., Hashmi, N. R., & Mukhtar, F. (2009). DETERMINANTS AND PATTERN OF HEALTH CARE SERVICES UTILISATION IN POST GRADUATE STUDENTS. Journal of Ayub Medical College Abbottabad, 21(3), 100–105. Retrieved from https://www.demo.ayubmed.edu.pk/jamc/index.php/jamc/article/view/3228

Most read articles by the same author(s)

1 2 > >>