THE LINK BETWEEN ACCESS TO PRIMARY HEALTHCARE SERVICES AND INFANT MORTALITY IN DEKINA LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREA, KOGI STATE
Abstract
This study investigated the nexus between access to primary healthcare services and infant mortality in Dekina Local Government Area, Kogi State. The specific objectives of the study include to ascertain the state of primary healthcare services, examining the accessibility of primary healthcare services, examining the challenges associated with access to primary healthcare services and the link between access to primary healthcare services and infant mortality in Dekina Local Government Area. Health Belief Model was used as a framework to buttress this study. Survey research design was employed and multi-stage sampling technique was adopted in which the study participants were purposively and systematically selected from the sample of 609 out of 49,234 of the study population of women of child bearing age. Out of the 609 copies of questionnaire administered, 576 were retrieved and analyzed. The reliability and validity of the study was conducted on different measures related to health care services and the questionnaire using cronbach’s alpha with the help of SPSS. Hypotheses formulated were tested using Chi-square and regression. As a result of the state of healthcare centers and their effects on infant mortality in Dekina L.G.A, the findings of the study revealed that there is a significant relationship between access to primary healthcare system and infant mortality in Dekina LGA. Despite the availability of primary healthcare services in Dekina LGA, the service was very poor due to dilapidated nature of PHC centers and non-availability of health professionals at the centers. The findings also revealed that challenges such as transportation, distance, health workers attitude and non-availability of drugs had significant effects on access to primary healthcare services in the study area. The study recommended among others that there is need for a developed, functional and far reaching primary healthcare system in all the rural communities. The available healthcare centers should be given priority by providing high quality health equipment so as to improve or bring quality of service closer to the people for easy access, to save lives and increase life expectancy. In view of the difficulties faced in accessing primary healthcare services as a result of dilapidated nature of the few available ones, there is urgent need for the government to increase budgetary allocation to healthcare system and astate of emergency be declared on all the healthcare centers.
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References
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