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Facilities Management Practices

in Nnamdi Azikiwe University Teaching Hospital (NAUTH), Nnewi, Anambra State, Nigeria

 

FEATURED PAPER

By Eze David Chukwu, Prof. Dr. Kevin Chuks Okolie, Dr. Fidelis Okechukwu Ezekoli

Department of Building, Nnamdi Azikiwe University

Awka, Nigeria

 


 

Abstract      

The study assessed FM practices in NAUTH Nnewi with a view to improving service delivery as regards the transportation of patients within the hospital premises; with the aid of a feedback mechanism. Being a survey research, the use of questionnaire in collating data was employed. A total of 253 questionnaires were distributed and 200 returned, which corresponds to 79% of the sample frame and found fit for analysis. The research analysis was done using Tables and Mean score. The hypothesis postulated was tested using the Fisher-Irwin test, as the data fell under the nominal and ordinal scales of measurement. The study found out that the inefficiency in service delivery is as a result of a fairly operational system and that transportation facilities are insufficient; and consequently recommended the provision of more transportation facilities followed by a high level of maintenance; installation of alert devices for notification/requisitions, organizing workshops on such issues as hospital management, and the like for members of administrative staff periodically.

Keywords:     Facilities management, feedback, NAUTH Nnewi, service delivery, transportation facilities.

  1. Introduction

Facilities Management (FM) can be referred to as the practice of co-ordinating the physical workplace, work and the people in an organization in order to enhance service delivery and in turn create an enabling work environment for optimum output (Cotts, 1999). The above definition is somewhat limited to workplace FM practice as FM can still be practiced in order areas such as apartment buildings or condominiums, refugee camps, places of worship, military formations/bases and wherever there is an assembly of human activities and materials to be handled. FM can also be said to involve guiding and managing the operations and maintenance of buildings, precincts and community infrastructure on behalf of property owners (Burt, 2012).

Facilities Management is an age-long practice which has existed out of necessity since building/infrastructure was first constructed to support human activities. Burt (2012) further opined that the FM industry is generally acknowledged to have stemmed from services provided by janitors and caretakers during the 1970’s. According to Achoru (2015), FM is an interdisciplinary field and management concept, encompassing the seven principles of management, that is, planning, organizing, controlling, motivating, coordinating, communicating and directing. This is primarily devoted to the maintenance and care of commercial or institutional buildings, such as hotels, resorts, schools, office complexes, sport arenas, convention centers and so on (Bagshaw and Peters, 2015).

The practice of Facilities Management (FM) is concerned with the process by which organisations ensure that their buildings, systems and services support core operations while contributing to the achievement of their strategic objective under stable business conditions (Bagshaw et al., 2015). It focuses on matching limited resources to user needs with a view to securing higher quality, lower risks and value for money (Cotts, 1999). Specifically, it deals with space design, construction, allocation, strategy, property asset management, maintenance and post occupancy evaluation of premises, inventory management, value management and life cycle costing, computerization and office automation, management of support services, and so on (Achoru, 2015).

Dell (2008) explains that FM involves the creation of an environment that is conducive to carrying out an organization’s primary operations, taking an integrated view of the services and infrastructure, and using same to deliver customer satisfaction and value for money through support for and enhancement of the core business. Little wonder it is defined as the co-ordination of the physical workplace, work and the people, in order to enhance service delivery and in turn create an enabling work environment for optimum output (Opaluwah, 2005). In essence therefore, the practice of FM aims to achieve but not limited to the following:

  1. Assets re-evaluation – making them highly cost effective at any given time.
  2. Enhance organisation’s culture and image.
  3. Deliver efficient/effective services.
  4. Enable future change of space use.
  5. Placing the organisation’s position strategically in the industry of operation which gives it competitive advantage.

In developed climes such as Europe and North America, emergency alarms in buildings are linked to a central agency in charge of emergency management, which decimates same to the appropriate agencies for prompt attention to such distress calls. There is also the case of alerting the emergency unit in hospitals, from the security post at the entrance of such medical facility, of the arrival of a patient in critical health condition. This enhances promptness in the service delivery process as every medical personnel concerned is put on alert in readiness to receive the supposed patient.  At this time, all facilities meant for transporting the patient into the emergency unit/ward are made readily available, so as not to have any cause for delay in the process. This act assures the patient and/or custodian that he or she is in safe hands.

In Nigeria however, Nnamdi Azikiwe University Teaching Hospital (NAUTH) Nnewi is a healthcare facility situated in the heart of the industrial city of Nnewi in Nnewi north local government area of Anambra state, where most patients who seek proper medical attention visit. Admitted patients as well as those who come from home (out-patients) are taken care of here, including those on emergency and/or scheduled visits. Every patient looks forward to experiencing the best quality medical services, as the hospital boasts of an array of professionals who have made their mark in the medical profession, but as preliminary investigations reveal, most patients who patronize the services of the hospital complain of poor service delivery, as this is peculiar to government owned healthcare facilities (Opaluwah, 2005; Bagshaw and Peters, 2008).

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How to cite this paper: Chukwu, E. D.; Okolie, K. C.; Ezekoli, F. O. (2020). Facilities Management Practices in Nnamdi Azikiwe University Teaching Hospital (NAUTH), Nnewi, Anambra State, Nigeria; PM World Journal, Vol. IX, Issue III, March.  Available online at https://pmworldlibrary.net/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/pmwj91-Mar2020-Chukwu-Okolie-Ezekoli-facilities-management-practices-in-nauth.pdf

 


 

About the Authors

 


Eze Chukwu David

Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka
Anambra State, Nigeria.

 

 

Mr. Eze Chukwu David, is from Igbere, in Bende LGA, Abia State, Nigeria. He obtained a Higher National Diploma (HND) and Postgraduate Diploma from Federal Polytechnic, Nekede, Owerri and Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka respectively. He is presently rounding off his MSc. programme in Facilities and Maintenance Management in Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka. Currently he is a staff of The Sun Publishing Limited and a partner with ZEDEQ CONTRACTORS.

 


Prof. Kevin Chuks Okolie

Nnamdi Azikiwe University
Awka, Anambra State, Nigeria

 

 

 Prof Kevin C. Okolie is the Head of the Department of Building at Nnamdi Azikiwe University Anambra State Nigeria. He holds a Doctor of Philosophy Degree in Construction Management from Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University, Port Elizabeth South Africa. His research interest lies in the development of Building Performance Evaluation Methodology, Health and Safety Management and Built Asset Management Systems. His published papers and articles on Construction and Facilities Management have appeared in many international conferences and peer reviewed journals.

 

 


Dr. Fidelis Okechukwu Ezeokoli

Nnamdi Azikiwe University
Awka, Anambra State, Nigeria

 

 

 

Fidelis Okechukwu Ezeokoli is a Lecturer in the Department of Building, Nnamdi Azikiwe University with vast experience in building construction and management. He has successfully delivered a number of building projects to time, desired quality and within the client’s budget He holds a Doctor of Philosophy Degree in Construction Management from Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka, Nigeria. His research interests are in flood resilient buildings, building materials and project management. He is a member of the Nigerian Institute of Building (MNIOB) and is registered with the Council of Registered Builders of Nigeria (CORBON).