Community health centres (CHCs) in South Africa play a crucial role in providing primary healthcare services to underserved populations. However, their efficiency and effectiveness have not been systematically evaluated. Data from multiple studies on CHCs in South Africa were synthesized through a comprehensive literature review. Multilevel regression models were employed to assess the impact of various factors on service delivery effectiveness, accounting for hierarchical data structures within and between centres. Multilevel regression analysis revealed significant heterogeneity in efficiency gains across different CHC settings, with some achieving up to 15% improvement in patient satisfaction scores over a two-year period. The multilevel regression models provided robust estimates of the factors influencing service delivery effectiveness and highlighted specific strategies for enhancing CHC performance. Based on our findings, targeted interventions should focus on improving staff training and resource allocation to maximise efficiency gains in CHCs. Community Health Centres, Multilevel Regression Analysis, Efficiency Gains, Patient Satisfaction Treatment effect was estimated with logit (pᵢ) =₀+^ Xᵢ, and uncertainty reported using confidence-interval based inference.
Ngema et al. (Mon,) studied this question.