Dublin Core
Title
Health Service Marketing
Management in Africa
Management in Africa
Creator
Robert Ebo Hinson
Description
Healthcare services are considered the backbone of society and human wellness. The recent institutional transformations in the healthcare services have enormous potential for research and the
sector is fast becoming an exciting field of inquiry for marketing and management scholars. Given
that marketers are concerned about the creation of value for customers, one of the latest trends in
the healthcare sector in Africa is the application of tested and established principles of value creation in mainstream marketing to the healthcare sector. However, this remains a grey area which
requires a comprehensive understanding and application of mainstream marketing and management principles. As a result, this book presents contemporary and thoughtful insights to address
marketing and management related principles in healthcare delivery within the African context.
Healthcare services are considered the backbone of society and human wellness. In recent times,
these services have undergone extensive institutional transformation (Danaher and Gallan, 2016).
Within the context of this transformation, marketing, service quality and value creation enhance
the service experience of healthcare customers (Osei-Frimpong, 2016). For example, Sahoo and
Ghosh (2016) identified service delivery, amongst others, as a significant contributor to enhancing
customer satisfaction in private healthcare delivery. It is notable that the healthcare industry has
enormous potential and is fast becoming an exciting field of endeavour for marketing practitioners. Given that marketers are concerned about the creation of value for customers, one of the latest
trends in the healthcare sector is the application of tested and established principles of value creation in mainstream marketing to the healthcare sector.
Stremersch (2008) notes that the application of marketing to healthcare is a fascinating field
that will likely have more impact on society than any field of marketing. He further states that an
intrinsically unstable environment characterises this very relevant emerging field, hence raising
new questions. Changing regulations, discoveries and new health treatments continuously appear
and give rise to these questions. Furthermore, advancements in technology not only improve the
healthcare delivery systems but also provide avenues for customers to seek information regarding their health conditions and influence their participatory behaviours or changing roles in the
service delivery (Osei-Frimpong, Wilson and Lemke, 2018). Increasingly, there is a shift from the
doctor-led approach to a more patient-centred approach. About a decade ago, Kay (2007) argued
that healthcare organisations need to utilise marketing tools more effectively for customer information and assistance in their healthcare decisions. This effort can only be achieved by healthcare
2 Health Service Marketing Management in Africa
organisations that promote increased accessibility of care and improved quality of service. Kay
(2007) argued these points from the perspective of the US-based healthcare system described as
“market-based”.
In Africa, the importance of marketing-driven practices in improving the delivery of healthcare
services cannot be overemphasised. The issue of healthcare delivery and management is significant
for policymakers, private sector players and consumers of health-related services in developing
economy contexts. Scholars have strongly argued in favour of marketing and value creation in
healthcare service delivery in Africa (i.e. Wanjau, Muiruri and Ayodo, 2012; Mahmoud, 2016;
Osei-Frimpong 2016). For instance, in Ghana, Osei-Frimpong (2016) advocated for healthcare service providers to understand patient needs or goals and adopt a holistic engagement approach that
would result in positive experiences. Customer experience affects the perception of service quality and acceptability of healthcare services. In South Africa, Hasumi and Jacobsen (2014) found
that long waiting times, unavailable medications and staff who are perceived as being unfriendly
affected the acceptability of healthcare services. In Egypt, Shafei, Walburg and Taher (2015) identified areas of shortfall in service quality as including physician reliability, physician assurance,
nursing reliability and nursing assurance. In the Nigerian context, Adepoju, Opafunso and Ajayi
(2018) found that patients were not satisfied with the quality of service in most of the dimensions
assessed (i.e. assurance, reliability, tangibles, empathy and responsiveness). In a study on factors
affecting service quality in the public health sector in Kenya, Wanjau, Muiruri and Ayodo (2012)
found that low employee capacity, low technology adoption, ineffective communication channels
and insufficient funding affect service quality delivery to patients, thus influencing healthcare
service quality perceptions, patient satisfaction and loyalty. These examples of healthcare service
marketing research, in the present contexts, highlight the need to utilise marketing and value creation tools in the delivery of healthcare services. Furthermore, there is a need for the integration of
service marketing and management principles to enhance the delivery of quality healthcare across
Africa and other developing economies. Therein lies the critical importance of this book.
Drawing on the above discussions, this new book on Health Service Marketing Management
responds to calls for quality healthcare service management practices or processes from developing economy perspectives. Focusing primarily on Africa, this book covers seven thematic areas,
namely: Strategy in Healthcare; Marketing Imperatives in Healthcare Management; Product and
Pricing Management in Healthcare; Distribution, Marketing Communications and Branding in
Healthcare; People, Physical Evidence and Service Quality Management in Healthcare; Process
Management in Healthcare; and Technology in Healthcare.
sector is fast becoming an exciting field of inquiry for marketing and management scholars. Given
that marketers are concerned about the creation of value for customers, one of the latest trends in
the healthcare sector in Africa is the application of tested and established principles of value creation in mainstream marketing to the healthcare sector. However, this remains a grey area which
requires a comprehensive understanding and application of mainstream marketing and management principles. As a result, this book presents contemporary and thoughtful insights to address
marketing and management related principles in healthcare delivery within the African context.
Healthcare services are considered the backbone of society and human wellness. In recent times,
these services have undergone extensive institutional transformation (Danaher and Gallan, 2016).
Within the context of this transformation, marketing, service quality and value creation enhance
the service experience of healthcare customers (Osei-Frimpong, 2016). For example, Sahoo and
Ghosh (2016) identified service delivery, amongst others, as a significant contributor to enhancing
customer satisfaction in private healthcare delivery. It is notable that the healthcare industry has
enormous potential and is fast becoming an exciting field of endeavour for marketing practitioners. Given that marketers are concerned about the creation of value for customers, one of the latest
trends in the healthcare sector is the application of tested and established principles of value creation in mainstream marketing to the healthcare sector.
Stremersch (2008) notes that the application of marketing to healthcare is a fascinating field
that will likely have more impact on society than any field of marketing. He further states that an
intrinsically unstable environment characterises this very relevant emerging field, hence raising
new questions. Changing regulations, discoveries and new health treatments continuously appear
and give rise to these questions. Furthermore, advancements in technology not only improve the
healthcare delivery systems but also provide avenues for customers to seek information regarding their health conditions and influence their participatory behaviours or changing roles in the
service delivery (Osei-Frimpong, Wilson and Lemke, 2018). Increasingly, there is a shift from the
doctor-led approach to a more patient-centred approach. About a decade ago, Kay (2007) argued
that healthcare organisations need to utilise marketing tools more effectively for customer information and assistance in their healthcare decisions. This effort can only be achieved by healthcare
2 Health Service Marketing Management in Africa
organisations that promote increased accessibility of care and improved quality of service. Kay
(2007) argued these points from the perspective of the US-based healthcare system described as
“market-based”.
In Africa, the importance of marketing-driven practices in improving the delivery of healthcare
services cannot be overemphasised. The issue of healthcare delivery and management is significant
for policymakers, private sector players and consumers of health-related services in developing
economy contexts. Scholars have strongly argued in favour of marketing and value creation in
healthcare service delivery in Africa (i.e. Wanjau, Muiruri and Ayodo, 2012; Mahmoud, 2016;
Osei-Frimpong 2016). For instance, in Ghana, Osei-Frimpong (2016) advocated for healthcare service providers to understand patient needs or goals and adopt a holistic engagement approach that
would result in positive experiences. Customer experience affects the perception of service quality and acceptability of healthcare services. In South Africa, Hasumi and Jacobsen (2014) found
that long waiting times, unavailable medications and staff who are perceived as being unfriendly
affected the acceptability of healthcare services. In Egypt, Shafei, Walburg and Taher (2015) identified areas of shortfall in service quality as including physician reliability, physician assurance,
nursing reliability and nursing assurance. In the Nigerian context, Adepoju, Opafunso and Ajayi
(2018) found that patients were not satisfied with the quality of service in most of the dimensions
assessed (i.e. assurance, reliability, tangibles, empathy and responsiveness). In a study on factors
affecting service quality in the public health sector in Kenya, Wanjau, Muiruri and Ayodo (2012)
found that low employee capacity, low technology adoption, ineffective communication channels
and insufficient funding affect service quality delivery to patients, thus influencing healthcare
service quality perceptions, patient satisfaction and loyalty. These examples of healthcare service
marketing research, in the present contexts, highlight the need to utilise marketing and value creation tools in the delivery of healthcare services. Furthermore, there is a need for the integration of
service marketing and management principles to enhance the delivery of quality healthcare across
Africa and other developing economies. Therein lies the critical importance of this book.
Drawing on the above discussions, this new book on Health Service Marketing Management
responds to calls for quality healthcare service management practices or processes from developing economy perspectives. Focusing primarily on Africa, this book covers seven thematic areas,
namely: Strategy in Healthcare; Marketing Imperatives in Healthcare Management; Product and
Pricing Management in Healthcare; Distribution, Marketing Communications and Branding in
Healthcare; People, Physical Evidence and Service Quality Management in Healthcare; Process
Management in Healthcare; and Technology in Healthcare.
Publisher
Health Service Marketing Management in Africa
Source
https://www.researchgate.net/profile/S-Yaw-Agyeman-Boaten/publication/338873441_Utilisation_and_Pricing_of_Healthcare_Services/links/648bb7868de7ed28ba2eaf12/Utilisation-and-Pricing-of-Healthcare-Services.pdf#page=125
Language
English