Abstract

This paper aimed at examining elderly people and free healthcare services (FHcS) in government hospitals in Urban district, Zanzibar by focusing on their views and way forward. A cross-sectional research design was adopted and data were collected using a questionnaire, a total of 75 elderly people with 60years and above were involved. Descriptive statistical analysis and summated scale techniques were applied to a Likert scale to gauge elderly people views basing on “strongly agree”, “agree”, “unpredicted” “disagree”, “strongly disagree” test. However, the way forward on improving free healthcare services in the study area was also carried out descriptively. Key findings revealed that majority 61.3% of the respondents disagree that the time to get services was friendly, 65.3% of the respondents also disagree that they are able to afford the cost of the medicine which are not found at the hospital while 40% of the respondents disagree that diagnosis services are good and trusted. Moreover, 41.3% of the respondents disagree that the healthcare services provided to them by healthcare providers are good, 42.7% of the respondents agree that there is a lack of enough medicines at hospitals while 50.7% of the respondents disagree about good reception procedures  when they go to the hospital to access FHcS. Further results indicate that the highlighted way- forwards towards effective provision of FHcS to elderly people include; the provision of free health  insurance to old people, increase of health workers and the budget which will improve health facilities in general, introducing special window or hospitals for old people and enact laws to enforce FHcS. Abiding on the emphasized way-forwards will improve FHcS for old people in the study area and others of the same characteristics.

Keywords

Elderly people, free healthcare services, hospitals, Zanzibar

Citation (APA Format)

Kalumanga, V. E. (2022). Elderly people and free healthcare services in government hospitals in Urban District, Zanzibar: Views and way-forward. International Journal of Politics, Law, and Management, 1(3).