ASSESSING THE BASIC HEALTH FACILITIES AND SATISFACTION LEVEL OF RURAL PEOPLE IN THE EVIDENCE FROM DISTRICT SANGHAR, PAKISTAN

The availability of basic healthcare affects quality of life in rural and developing areas, with disparities in health services across Pakistan's Provincial Districts. We investigated access to essential health services and satisfaction with their use among people who sought healthcare in the District Sanghar, Sindh Province, Pakistan. This survey used a cross-sectional/multi-stage cluster sampling design,with a questionnaire distributed to 300 participants and including both closed- and open-ended questions. The study applied Descriptive and Multiple Regression Analyses to examine the availability of healthcare services and the factors, including socioeconomic indicators of access to healthcare facilities. This analysis showed that only one-fourth of the health facilities surveyed were rated satisfactory by their users, while another 40% were rated unsatisfactory. The lowest in the satisfactory category was Jam Nawaz Ali taluka, one of the health facilities in this study. Even though many government hospitals and vaccination centers are nearby, the population still faces barriers to using an ambulance or making an appointment at a family planning center, a sanitation center, or a specialty care facility. The regression analysis (Adjusted R2 = 0.526) found that access to basic healthcare was positively predicted by education, marital status, cemented housing, permanent residence, possession of a CNIC, and income support, but negatively by unstable employment. The study reveals that barrier to fair patient access and poor patient satisfaction in the healthcare system stem from structural, socioeconomic, systemic, and gender-based factors. The Government of Pakistan should invest in developing health infrastructure, enhancing the quality of care, and improving the socioeconomic status of rural residents to combat these barriers.