PERCEPTION OF PUBLIC RELATIONS STRATEGIES AND HEALTH CARE PROVISION IN FEDERAL MEDICAL CENTRE, KEFFI AND UNIVERSITY OF ABUJA TEACHING HOSPITAL, GWAGWALADA

The purpose of this study was to find out the extent the public relations strategies of the Federal Medical Centre, Keffi and the University of Abuja Teaching have been used for healthcare provision by health service providers. The study also sought to examine the impact of public relations on public perception and its impact on the patronage of these hospitals. A sample size of 400 respondents was chosen for the study with 389 copies properly filled and selected for the analysis and discussions. The research design for the study was the survey and questionnaire, the instrument for data collection. From the 389 copies used in the analysis, findings reveal that hospitals are increasingly seeing the need to engage in various public relations activities. However, result from the study showed that public relations had very little influence on respondents’ patronage of FMC, Keffi and the UATH. Most respondents visited these hospitals as a result of referrals and the NHIS scheme even though staff of the hospitals claimed they were engaging in various public relations activities. It was also discovered that public relations officers are not part of the management or decision making team of both hospitals. In addition, the key complain of most respondents was on the long bureaucratic and time wasting processes before seeing a doctor. Drawing from the study findings, it was recommended that hospitals should improve on their staff/patient relationship. The long bureaucratic process before seeing a doctor should be highly minimised by introducing more efficient and human friendly methods in attending to patients.