ROLE OF PUBLIC RELATIONS IN THE MARKETING OF HOSPITAL SERVICES
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ROLE OF PUBLIC RELATIONS IN THE MARKETING OF HOSPITAL SERVICES
Chapter one
INTRODUCTION
BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY
Prior to the 1960s, public relations practice was not widely known; only a few Nigerians were aware of what public relations was, until recently, when public relations practice and public relations programmes and activities were regarded as powerful tools for coordinating human and business image.
Because Nigerian society’s economic, social, and political programmes were constantly changing, understanding of public relations spread quickly.
Public relations as a marketing function is an extension of the societal marketing concept, which bases all marketing decisions on customer pleasure and the well-being of the firm’s greater community.
A relationship between a company and its many publics, including as customers, employees, and the general public, that is intended to improve the organization’s image in the minds of its many publics (Engle, Warshow, and Kinnear P. 568).
Public relations can improve a company’s image and reputation, which the institute of public relations defines as “the deliberate, planned, and sustained effort to establish and maintain metal understanding between an organisation and its public.”
According to Philip Kotler (1997: P. 6.71), a management role is the involvement in a variety of programmes meant to promote and defend a company’s image or particular products.
According to Canfield (1992: p. 58), “public relations” is the management function that examines public attitudes, identities, policies, and procedures of an individual or organisation with public interest and implements a programme of action to acquire public understanding and acceptance.”
Kam Affong defined public relations as “the process of assessing consumer wants, establishing communication, and fostering good will so that consumer wants can be profitably satisfied.”
Based on the foregoing, hospital management should be capable of assessing and analysing their customers’ wants, and information should flow from the hospital to the customer and back, fostering mutual understanding between the two parties. The extent to which hospitals use successful public relations remains unknown.
A pregnant woman once arrived at one of our hospitals and asked the nurse on duty to take her to the birth room since she was weak. The nurse responded in a loud and aggressive tone, “If you like, crawl to the labour room; after all, she did not impregnate her.”
Some doctors, nurses, and staff are occasionally unconcerned about their patients’ well-being, are harsh with them, have the highest number of deaths, charge exorbitant fees, employ unqualified workers, and require payment before treatment.
These and other factors may account for a preference for one hospital over another. So, hospital administrators should be mindful of everything they do because they rely on the public for business and must satisfy their customers.
As a result, management should recognise that public relations, as a marketing promotional role, if practiced properly, can assist them in carefully guarding their image and maintaining a positive relationship between the hospital and its public, so fostering goodwill for themselves.
“Public relations is too important in a firms total communication and promotional effort to permit it to be either negative and damaging or indifferent to the point where the public know little or what the company is doing, what it stands for and what it is trying to achieve” .
Rom Markins (1979:521) So the hospital should “effectively” blow its trumpet, and if poorly managed, it will be unable to gain goodwill regardless of the promotional techniques it employs. When a patient discovers that the doctor and nurses do not meet their needs, they will switch to another hospital.
Doctors, nurses, paramedical personnel, drug suppliers, patients, and the general public should maintain continual communication so that the hospital’s positive deeds can be publicised and credited. Hospitals do not need to advertise for patients or consumers, but there are other efficient techniques to attract patients, such as public relations.
The Park Lane Hospital’s history: The hospital was founded in 1930 as a nursing home for colonial masters, and blacks were admitted in 1952 because it was intended for whites.
In April 1967, during Nigeria’s civil war. It was turned into a general hospital, and its expansion began in May of that year. Between 1978 and 1982, the surgical wing, eye clinic, paediatric ward, plant house, mortuary, and four new blocks of consulting rooms in the OPD were built and commissioned.
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