ABSTRACT

This study investigates patient satisfaction and perception of primary healthcare services at Ugbekun and Oluku centers in Benin City, Edo State, Nigeria. Primary healthcare is crucial for accessible health services and for assessing social development. While primary healthcare aims to improve health at the community level, patient satisfaction is increasingly recognized as essential to evaluating service quality. The study's objectives include determining patients' satisfaction levels, their perceptions of healthcare quality, and identifying services that impact satisfaction the most. A descriptive, non-experimental research design was used, with data collected from 200 patients through structured questionnaires. Results indicate generally low satisfaction, with 80% of patients dissatisfied. Key areas of concern included waiting times, the cost of services, and insufficient staff availability, which directly impacted patient satisfaction. Factors positively affecting patient experience were cleanliness, staff empathy, and the provision of essential health information. Although patients expressed high satisfaction with specific services like immunization, challenges such as the unavailability of essential drugs and laboratory services require improvement. The study concludes that improving resource availability, training staff, and enhancing patient-provider communication are recommended to increase patient satisfaction at primary healthcare centers.

Key words: include patient satisfaction, primary healthcare, patient perception, service quality, healthcare access