The Role Of Social Support Systems In Promoting Healthcare Service Access Among The St. Augustine University Students In Mwanza, Tanzania

The purpose of this study was to examine the qualitative contributions of university hostel wardens and campus healthcare providers in facilitating healthcare service access among St. Augustine University students in Mwanza. Living away from immediate family members, university students frequently encounter physical, administrative, and financial obstacles when seeking medical care during health emergencies. To explore how institutional personnel help students navigate these challenges, a qualitative case study design was carried out from July to August 2026. Primary qualitative data were gathered through semi-structured in-depth interviews with key institutional actors specifically residential hostel wardens and campus healthcare nurses, selected through purposive sampling. The data were analyzed thematically using Braun and Clarke's framework, guided by the principles of Social Support Theory. The findings revealed that institutional support personnel facilitate healthcare service access through five main avenues: frontline welfare guidance, health insurance orientation, emergency financial assistance, professional clinical care with stigma reduction, and external hospital referral linkages. Hostel wardens function as primary welfare contacts who identify student illness, encourage health insurance compliance, and coordinate night transportation during emergencies. Concurrently, the healthcare nurse provides clinical diagnosis, corrects health misinformation, offers confidential counseling, and arranges referrals to regional referral hospitals when specialized care is required. The study concludes that university wardens and healthcare providers form an essential institutional link that enables students to overcome barriers to healthcare service and maintain their well-being while they are at university proceeding with their studies. Strengthening staff welfare capacity and establishing dedicated emergency student medical funds are recommended to enhance campus healthcare delivery..