Customers' Perceptions on Pharmaceutical Regulatory Service Quality in Ethiopia
Abstract
Introduction: Service quality is a unique and abstract concept that is difficult to define and measure. It is an overall customer judgment that results from the comparison between service expectations and perceptions. There is no information on customers’ perception of pharmaceutical regulatory service quality in Ethiopia. Hence, this study aimed to assess customers’ perception of the Ethiopian Food, Medicine and Healthcare Administration and Control Authority’s pharmaceutical regulatory service quality.
Materials and methods: Cross-sectional study design was conducted from March 30 to May 30, 2017. Using simple random sampling technique, 131 respondents were included in the study. Structured questionnaire adapted from the SERVQUAL model was used to collect the data. Paired sample t-test and descriptive statistics were used for data analysis.
Results: The study found out that pharmaceutical regulatory service quality was low. Negative service quality gaps were observed in the five service quality dimensions and overall service quality. The widest service quality gap was in reliability and the narrowest gap was in the tangibility and assurance dimensions. The perception and expectation mean scores were 1.897±0.61 and 3.433±0.559 respectively.
Conclusions: Only 21.4% of the customers perceived that there was good service quality in the Authority while 78.6% claimed as poor. The study showed that there are service quality gaps in the pharmaceutical regulatory services. Hence, managers should look into the unmet needs and expectations or low perceptions of customers; and formulate effective strategies to ensure provision of better service quality.
Downloads
References
2. Grönroos C. Service management and marketing: customer management in service competition. John Wiley & Sons; 2007.
3. Parasuraman A, Zeithaml VA, Berry LL. A conceptual model of service quality and its implications for future research. Journal of Marketing. 1985;49(4):41-50.
4. Kotler P, Armstrong G, Saunders J, Wong V. Principles of Marketing. 3rd ed. Europe: Pretence Hall; 2002.
5. Graeme K. Quality Mnagement. 2011;1:10-2.
6. Gronroos C. A service quality model and its marketing implications. European Journal of Marketing. 1984;18(4):36-44.
7. Chingang Nde D, Lukong P. Using the SERVQUAL Model to assess Service Quality and Customer Satisfaction: An Empirical study of grocery stores in Umea: Umeå School of Business; 2010.
8. Asubonteng P, McCleary KJ, Swan JE. SERVQUAL revisited: a critical review of service quality. The Journal of Services Marketing. 1996;10(6):62-81.
9. Ladhari R. A review of twenty years of SERVQUAL research. International Journal of Quality and Service Sciences. 2009;1(2):172-98.
10. Parasuraman A, Zeithaml V, Berry L. SERVQUAL: a multi-item scale for measuring consumer perceptions of the service quality. Journal of Retailing. 1988;64(1):12-40.
11. Kotler P. Marketing Management: Analysis, planning, implementation, and control. 8th ed. New Jersey: Prentice Hall; 1994.
12. Jabber W. Role of service quality in measuring customer satisfaction in power sector: A case of Dhaka Electric Supply Company (DESCO). University of Chittagong; 2015.
13. Padma P, Rajendran C, Lokachari PS. Service quality and its impact on customer satisfaction in Indian hospitals. Perspectives of patients and their attendants. Benchmarking: An International Journal. 2010;17(6):807-41.
14. Olufemi A, Yadavalli V, Awelani M. Assessment the quality of service provided by a national regulatory institution. The South African Journal of Industrial Engineering. 2015;24(1):29-49.
15. Zeithaml VA, Parasuraman A, Berry LL. Delivering Quality Service. New York:The Free Press; 1990.
16. Papanikolaou V, Sotiris Z. Service quality perceptions in primary health care centres in Greece. Health Expectations. 2012;17(2):197-207.
17. Teicher J, Hughes Om, Dow N. E-government: a new route to public service quality. Managing Service Quality. 2002;12(6):384-93.
18. Suki N.M, Lian J.C.C, Suki N.M. Do patients’ perceptions exceed their expectations in private healthcare settings. International Journal of Health Care Quality Assurance. 2011;24(1):42-56.
19. Pejović G, Filipović J, Tasić L, Marinković V. Towards medicines regulatory authorities' quality performance improvement: value for public health. The International journal of health planning and management. 2016;31(1).
20. Daniel K. Here is a way for Ethiopia (እነሆ መንገድ ለኢትዮጵያ...). Addis Ababa, Ethiopia Etafzer printing; 2016.
21. FDRE. Growth and Transfrmation Plan 2010/11-2014/15. In: Development MoFaE, editor. Addis Ababa; 2010.
22. FMoH. Health Sector Transformation Plan 2015/16-2019/20. Addis Ababa, Ethiopia; 2015. p. 23-31.
23. EFMHACA. Health Regulatory Transformation Plan 2016-2020. In: Directorate Pap, editor. Addis Ababa, Ethiopia; 2016.
24. Addis Ababa City Council [Internet]. 2017 [cited 2017 Feb 12]. Available from:
http://www.ethioembassy.org.uk/about_us/regional_states/addis_ababa_city_council.htm.
25. FMoH. Health and Health Related Indictors. In: Policy Planning Directorate, editor. Addis Ababa, Ethiopia;2016.
26. FDRE. Federal Negarit Gazette of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, Council of Ministers Establishment Regulation No.189/2010. In: Ministers Co, editor. Addis Ababa2010.
27. Hair JF, Black WC, Babin BJ, Anderson RE. Multivariate Data Analysis. New York: Prentice Hall; 2009.
28. Robert A. Peterson. A Meta-analysis of Cronbach's Coefficient Alpha. Journal of Consumer Research. 1994; 21(2):381-91.
29. Oliaee Z, Jabbari A, Ehsanpour S. An investigation on the quality of midwifery services from the viewpoint of the clients in Isfahan through SERVQUAL model. Iranian Journal of Nursing and Midwifery Research. 2016; 21(3):291-6.
30. Ramseook-Munhurrun P, Lukea-Bhiwajee SD, Naidoo P. Service quality in the public service. International Journal of Management and Marketing Research. 2010; 3(1):37-50.
31. Zarei A, Arab M, Froushani AR, Rashidian A, Tabatabaei SMG. Service quality of private hospitals: The Iranian Patients' perspective. BMC Health Services Research. 2012; 12(1):31.
32. Aghamolaei T, Eftekhaari TE, Rafati S, Kahnouji K, Ahangari S, Shahrzad ME, et al. Service quality assessment of a referral hospital in southern Iran with SERVQUAL technique: patients' perspective. BMC Health Serv Res. 2014;14:322.
33. Aagja JA, Garg R. Measuring perceived service quality for public hospitals (PubHosQual) in the Indian context. International Journal of Pharmaceutical and Healthcare Marketing. 2010; 4(1):60-83.
34. Mohammadi A, Shoghli A. Survey on quality of primary health cares in Zanjan District Health Centers. ZUMS Journal. 2009; 16(65):89-100.
35. Lee MA, Yom Y-H. A comparative study of patients’ and nurses’ perceptions of the quality of nursing services, satisfaction and intent to revisit the hospital: A questionnaire survey. International journal of nursing studies. 2007; 44(4):545-55.
36. Khanli M, DANESHMANDI H, CHOOBINEH A. The students’ viewpoint on the quality gap in educational services. Journal of Advances in Medical Education & Professionalism. 2014; 2(3):114.
37. Eshetu W, Sauwakon R. Effective drug regulation: A multicountry study. In: World Health Organization, editor. Geneva, Swizerland; 2002.
38. Muhammad B, Mohsin.,, Cyril de Run E. Private healthcare quality: applying a SERVQUAL model. International Journal of Health Care Quality Assurance. 2010; 23(7):658-73.
39. Zare E. Service quality of hospital outpatient departments: patients’ perspective. International Journal of Health Care Quality Assurance. 2015; 28(8):778-90.
40. Carlucci D, Renna P, Schiuma G. Evaluating service quality dimensions as antecedents to outpatient satisfaction using back propagation neural network. Health care Management Scienc. 2013; 16(1):37-44.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.
The International Journal of Drug Regulatory affairs require a formal written transfer of copyright from the author(s) for each article published. We therefore ask you to complete and return this form, retaining a copy for your records. Your cooperation is essential and appreciated. Any delay will result in a delay in publication.
I/we have read and agree with the terms and conditions stated Page 2 of this agreement and I/we hereby confirm the transfer of all copyrights in and relating to the above-named manuscript, in all forms and media, now or hereafter known, to the International Journal of Drug Regulatory affairs, effective from the date stated below. I/we acknowledge that the IJDRA is relying on this agreement in publishing the above-named manuscript. However, this agreement will be null and void if the manuscript is not published in the IJDRA.
Download link for COPYRIGHT FORM
