An evaluation of the outsourcing strategy in supportive services in the hospitals affiliated to the Ministry of Health andMedical Education

Abstract After more than two years of the implementation of outsourcing support services strategy in hospitals affiliated to the Ministry of Health & Medical Education, an assessment for the attainment of objectives and the evaluating this strategy was very necessary. This study is aimed to evaluating of above mention strategy, and its results. This is a descriptive, cross-sectional, and applied study for evaluating outsourcing support services strategy in three supportive services (catering, cleaning & laundry) in pilot hospitals (one hospital from each Medical Universities) during 2005-2007. During the years 2005-2007 on the average 86.29% of caterings, cleaning & laundry services of the hospitals have been outsourced, 89.62% of these hospitals have put out these services to tender. The activities that were outsourced during this time and the average were 94.05% through holding volume contracts and participation of contractors in supplying the consumable goods, equipment and maintenance repairing these equipments was 46.51%. The mean satisfaction rate of outsourced services was 76.89% and the payment average to the contractors based on the assessment controlling check-lists was a mean 78.71%. The mean price for each meal in these years was 5341.15 Rials. The cleaning price for each square meter was 12078.66, and for washing each kilogram of clothes or bed sheets was 2929 Rials. The increase of price for the basic services during some years differed from the priced rise of the estimated price. There is no significant correlation between the situation of tenders and satisfaction rate; which was in the case of paying based on the assessment controlling checklists and the rate of satisfaction. But there was a correlation between the amount of monthly contract and human resources working in the contract. Also there was a correlation between the human resources and monthly volume of the work. There was no correlation between the basic price of services and the rate of satisfaction. Also there was no significant correlation between condition of supplying the usage materials, equipments and maintenance these equipments, and satisfaction rate. It seems that outsourcing the services can lead to improvement of hospital efficacy and enhancing the patients and personnel's satisfaction.