Clients’ perceptions of delivery of veterinary services in peri-urban Ghana

Abstract

A study was designed aimed at comparing the assessment of performance of animal health care delivery systems in peri-urban Ghana by livestock and poultry keepers in 4 locations. 889 respondents were interviewed using a questionnaire. A higher proportion of respondents in Location 1 met their needs for animal health by themselves, while in Location 3 these needs were met mainly by veterinarians. The mean distances to veterinary clinics, veterinary technicians or to purchase medicine were significantly higher in Location 1. Higher proportions in 3 locations perceived effectiveness of service delivery to be good. However, equity was poor in all 4 locations. Higher proportions in Locations 2, 3 and 4 said services were unaffordable. Client needs were perceived to have been met by higher proportions in Locations 3 and 4 but not in Locations 1 and 2. Staff attitude and technical competence were good in all 4 locations. The study concluded that the differences reported in the quality of service indicators in the 4 locations were not critical enough to recommend location-specific delivery systems.

Antibiotic Practices and Factors Influencing the Use of Antibiotics in Selected Poultry Farms in Ghana

“…In several European countries such as The Netherlands, Denmark, Norway and Sweden, the administration of antibiotics to farm animals are strictly under the supervision of a veterinarian [42]. Ghana does not have enough veterinarians to enforce such regulations [47]. In the absence of these experts, persons such as the farm owners and managers should be adequately trained to perform such responsibilities.…”

“…It was also observed that both large farms and older farms changed their bedding material more frequently, were more likely to record treatment plans, keep treatment record, use disinfectants and seek veterinarian or expert advice than both smaller and younger farms. This could be due to the fact that larger farms could readily afford for instance, to pay for services of veterinarians since smaller farms perceive veterinary services as expensive [47].…”

“…The dependence of farmers on antibiotics for the treatment of parasitic infections could be because most farmers rely on personal knowledge and experience during antibiotic administration instead of seeking veterinarian advice [47]. It could also be due to failure of farmers to administer vaccines at the appropriate time [57].…”

“…For instance occurrence of infections could be reduced by timely vaccination and improvement in farm hygienic conditions [57]. It was also observed that veterinarians are influential in the use of antibiotics on farms and improvement in delivery of veterinary services as previously suggested [47] could significantly decrease the use and possible misuse of antibiotics on these farms. Also, monitoring farmers' access to antibiotics by instituting surveillance systems may lead to a decline in the use of antibiotic-containing agents on poultry farms.…”

What does ‘quality’ mean in the context of rural extension and advisory services?

“…There are several, intertwined reasons that may help to explain this process. First, in the context of the pressures towards the privatization of rural extension and advisory services (RE&AS) that began in the 80s, concepts such as 'quality' and 'clientele' that have been traditionally linked to the world of private companies (Fredendall and Lippert, 1995) became notions that could be applied to rural advisory services, now framed in market terms (Turkson, 2009;Anaza et al, 2012). Second, pressures towards privatization, coupled with a questioning of the lack of evidence for the impact of RE&AS, made clear the need for evaluating the results and quality of the services provided to present them to funding agencies or institutions in order to keep up a steady flow of resources (Diehl et al, 2012;Lamm et al, 2013;Franz et al, 2014).…”