Human Resourses Management (HRM); What Effect Does It Have On Staff Performance And Health Service Delivery In Nigeria – The Case Study of University of Port-Harcourt Teaching Hospital (UPTH), Rivers State, Nigeria

Abstract: The health care is a very important sector in Nigeria. Continuous observations of medical practitioners changing to, and picking up employments in other field for example, banking, insurance, oil and gas, marketing etc, pose a question if the problem has to do with Human Resources Management in the health institution where majority of the medical personnel get employed. This study was carried out to determine what effect this would have on staff performance and in turn health service delivery. This study adopted the simple random sampling technique to select one hundred and twenty (120) medical practitioners. The Likert scale was used to assess the opinion of the respondents. The data gathered through the questionnaires was analyzed using the Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS). More than half of the respondents: 54 (52.9%) confirmed their uncomfortable office conditions, 62 (60.4%) their insufficient benefits and allowances, 61 (59.8%) do not agree that they were being paid fairly for their responsibility. A vast majority of the respondents: 60 (58.8%) attested that employees are not recognized for good performance. Most of the respondents: 69 (67.6%) agreed that they were growing as a professional in the hospital. Quite a number of the respondents: 63(61.8%) confirmed that there is no policy that covers hazard related to their jobs. This study highlighted the overall Human resources management challenges in the health sector and confirmed the relationship between poor pay structure, lack of facilities, infrastructures, safety at work – and attitude to work. The Government and Health managers should address those factors that affect attitude to work. Improving the work environment so that it provides a context congruent with the aspirations and values systems of health workers is more likely to increase a better attitude to work and consequently have a positive effect on individual, organizational and health outcomes.