Large number of patients suffer long waiting
time from upwards of 37 minutes to four (4) hours at
hospitals emergency departments just to receive
medical care, which is a notable departure from the
maximum 15 minutes recommended. The descriptive
cross-sectional study design with a structured
questionnaire was used. Late arrival of the doctor, long
search for files, shortage of doctors, nurses, diagnostic
facilities, hospital beds and administrative bottlenecks,
prompted some patients to leave the health facility
without being seen by a doctor, thus leading to a
deterioration in the patient’s condition and creating a
feeling of patient’s dissatisfaction with attendant loss of
revenue to the hospital as patients fail to adhere to
provider’s instructions and fail to recommend the
health facility to family and friends due to their own
experiences. Long waiting time is causing notable
dissatisfaction and loss of confidence in the healthcare
delivery system as many clients usually left the health
facility without either being seen by a doctor, or
obtaining the prescribed medication There is an urgent
need to increase the number of health workers in the
general outpatient department
Keywords : Patient, Waiting Time, Healthcare, PatientDissatisfaction.