Financial governance of a hospital, patient criticism: " the case of the EL-Maarouf National Hospital Center"

Abstract

Summary: The objective of financial governance in a hospital center is to provide insight into the political stakes and their consequences on the financial governance of a healthcare institution . Beyond purely management aspects, the goal is to enable the El-Maarouf National Hospital Center to demonstrate its public service status, ensuring the highest standards of care at appropriate prices. This also includes the need to guarantee adequate basic coverage of various healthcare services for the entire population, including those unable to afford them. The study examines the main drivers of healthcare costs and seeks to understand the behavior of stakeholders, highlighting the complex trade-off between cost control and other essential factors. The EL-Maarouf National Hospital Centre is a public institution that permanently ensures public health, by investing in all coordinated social actions on the ground, to warn the population about possible diseases, the precautions to take especially, if it concerns public health such as epidemics, Covid-19 is proof of this.

Design: Given the complexity of the national hospital center, the methodology used to obtain the necessary information consisted of a field survey, employing several data collection methods: interviews, direct interviews, and electronic document sources. Interviews constituted the primary source of information. The total number of individuals interviewed included several witnesses to financial governance, as well as the board of directors, the hospital's chief financial officer, and the national hospital center's accountant.

Results: This new configuration requires the implementation of shared coordination, which goes beyond what was previously considered necessary for controlling expenditures and revenue collection. Based on this study and the interview responses, we can affirm that this work has highlighted the considerable impact of the new financial governance on the coordination of all stakeholders, due to the limited resources of El'Maarouf National Hospital. However, challenges remain, and coordination is necessary to ensure the optimal use of limited resources, with the aim of guaranteeing sound financial governance.

Limitations of the research: This study is limited by the small sample size and the exploratory nature of the qualitative analysis. Further research in this area is recommended, particularly by increasing the sample size and using more robust methodologies with other healthcare facilities on other islands.

Practical implications: The modest contribution of this document offers positive perspectives to decision-makers in facilities, with a view to coordinating financial resources to ensure optimal public health management. Indeed, criticism is sometimes raised regarding the quality of healthcare infrastructure within hospitals .

Originality/value: Research in this area helps demonstrate that public health institutions must be managed using appropriate management tools to ensure the use of limited resources, with the ultimate goal of guaranteeing sound financial governance of hospitals through a practical and adaptable management method that meets the requirements of funding bodies. In other words, the bodies established within the hospital must play a significant role in daily management to balance the hospital's accounts, acquire modern equipment, and address critical public health needs.