Service quality at Rietvlei hospital
Authors:   , Gcabashe Skhumbuzo 
Published: March 2022

The motive of this investigation is to evaluate the application of SERVQUAL at Rietvlei Hospital, with the intention to improve standards of service provision at Rietvlei Hospital. The health sector in South African is faced with major challenges that are associated with restructuring with the intent of addressing inadequacies which are a result of the fragmentation of healthcare services inherited from the apartheid era in South Africa. The legacy of apartheid government in South Africa and fragmentation of healthcare systems have resulted to the provision of poor public healthcare services to society. The most disadvantaged and vulnerable groups of people living in rural areas are still facing challenges in accessing quality healthcare service delivery from public healthcare facilities. Health services post-apartheid in South Africa are plagued by gaps in providing healthcare services to the society. These gaps are created by the discrepancy between customer expectation and management perceptions about customer expectations. The management they do not understand how these customer expectations emanated from. Sometimes management is unable to set targets to meet the customer perceptions and ensure that those targets are achieved, in order to meet the customer expectations. South Africa national core standards were designed in order to enhance service delivery provided by public and private health sectors. These protocols exist to reinstate staff confidence and patient in South African about healthcare service delivery and healthcare system. This research project aim to determine patient responses about their satisfaction levels regarding health care services they received from South African hospitals especially in rural areas. The study also set out to establish how health sector can realise the provision of quality service delivery and quality healthcare services to the society, as enshrined in South African Constitution Act 108 of 1996. This study used qualitative research paradigm where data was collected using a mixed-methodology, using mainly questionnaires and interviews. The survey revealed that beneficiaries of the service provided by Rietvlei Hospital were dissatisfied about service standards at Rietvlei Hospital. It was found that there is a gap regarding management responsiveness, quality of services and communication between the management and the clients. Data revealed that issues such as an old infrastructure, a lack of management skills and financial management skills, as well as shortage of resources are among the main contributing factors which negatively affect the public healthcare system in South Africa. There is less compliance o the White paper on the NHI which outlines directives in the promotion of the provision of affordable healthcare services to all citizens. It was recommended that public healthcare institutions must implement SERVQUAL model to ensure the satisfaction of ever-changing customer desires are met. Today SERVQUAL has become more significant to developing countries as a Model that can be adopted as a ensure that organisations which provide similar services, product, compete to enhance customer satisfactions. This study recommends that the government must ensure that there is improvement in resource allocation to public healthcare institutions, to ensure that public institutions provide quality service delivery and quality healthcare services to customers. The National Health Department must ensure that all public institutions implement the National Core Standards (NCS), Batho Pele principles must be known as well by staff to ensure patients‘ right and to enhance service delivery and healthcare services provided to customers. If the South African National Department of Health can ensure the execution of these strategies combat the patients‘ negative perception about service delivery and healthcare services provided by public health institutions. These will also ensure patients‘ satisfaction and patients‘ retention to public healthcare institutions.