Quest Journals
Journal of Research in Humanities and Social Science
Volume 10 ~ Issue 7 (2022) pp: 28-38
ISSN(Online):2321-9467
www.questjournals.org
*Corresponding Author: DAVIES EMMANUEL OPUENE, Ph.D 28 | Page
Research Paper
Administrative Processes and Primary Health Care
Delivery in Ngo-Okpala Local Government Area of Imo
State.
DAVIES EMMANUEL OPUENE, Ph.D, NSIEGBE GRAHAM, Ph.D,
DURU CHINYERE CHRISTIAN
Department of Political Science
Rivers State Univeristy
Nkpolu-Oroworukwo, Port Harcourt.
Abstract
Administrative process is a key mechanism in any governmental or public organization. Apart from being the
engine room of public sector management, it constitutes a typical hierarchical arrangement of lines of authority
which determines how roles, powers and responsibilities are assigned and how the work processes flows at
different levels of an organization. This paper examined administrative processes in primary health care (PHC)
delivery in Ngor-Okpala local government area of Imo State. The paper is anchored on the contingency theory
and adopted the descriptive study design. The population of the study was the entire two hundred and ten (210)
officials of the Ngor-Okpala primary health delivery services as sourced from the Imo State Ministry of Health.
Data for the paper was generated via the distribution and retrieval of questionnaire and via unscheduled
interviews of key personnel of the Ngor-Okpala local government area PHC and those of the council officials
and state Ministry of Health, Imo State, this was complimented by information from secondary sources. Data
was analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics and also by content analysis. The paper discovered
amongst others; that, poor leadership and dearth of professional medical personnel at the health care centres
have led to inadequate and non-functional surveillance system and hence no tracking system to monitor the
outbreak of communicable diseases, bioterrorism, chemical poisoning etc. Accordingly, this paper recommends
amongst others; that, in order to better strengthen and protect PHC delivery in Ngor-Okpala, there is the need
for government to identify the determinants of effective administrative processes such as, better remuneration
and other forms of incentives that will motivate and encourage trained nurses and mid-wives to migrate from
urban areas to rural area, thereby improving the quality of health personnels available to work at the primary
health care centres.
Keywords: Administrative, Primary, Healthcare, Government.
Received 25 June, 2022; Revised 05 July, 2022; Accepted 07 July, 2022 © The author(s) 2022.
Published with open access at www.questjournals.org
I. Introduction
Administrative process is a typical hierarchical arrangement of lines of authority. It determines how the
roles, powers, and responsibilities are assigned, and, how the work process flows among different management
levels. It involves the management and operation of the respective systems/entities, and each operates through
specific administrative process. Each of these systems is operated by an administration and each use a
management hierarchy (Jegede, 2002).
Health services delivery in Nigeria had its historical antecedents. It had evolved through a series of
governmental succession of policies and plan, which had been introduced by previous administrations (Oyewo,
2009).
Oyewo (2009) traced the historical epoch of Nigerian health sector beyond the organized colonial
period and asserted that material and child care of pre-colonial period through primitive, compared to the
orthodox medical care, served the people with precise efficiency which was proportional to their level of
development. Oyewo, further identified the beginning of a meaningful health service policy with the first Ten
Year National plan (1946-1956) wherein health was put on the concurrent legislative list with both Federal and