Determinants Of Primary Healthcare Utilization In The Gomoa East Sub-District

ABSTRACT Primary health care is vital in the general health care system in every country. Therefore, it is highly imperative to provide facilities and services to enhance access to healthcare services to benefit all individuals independent of their location. The effective provision and implementation of these services will encourage the utilization of primary health care. The present study, therefore, is aimed to contribute to existing literature by examining the phenomenon in a rural community in the Central region- Gomoa East sub-district. The focus of this study is to identify the determinants of the utilization of primary healthcare; the perception, identification of the factors that influence the use of primary health care and the health seeking behaviours. This study used the mixed method approach which is a combination of both quantitative and qualitative research approaches. Data collection instruments employed included questionnaire and interviews. Sample sizes of 200 respondents from two communities (Okyereko and Adawukwa) were selected for the survey. The study has confirmed that the key factors that determine the utilization of health care in the sub district are mainly the accessibility to the health facility and the age of the person. On the contrary, the observation made from the findings on level of education and the average monthly income showed a non-significant role as determinants of the utilization primary health care. The health seeking behaviour of the people showed that 46% report to the health facility when they become ill, another 36% self-diagnosis and self-medicat