Figure 1

Kanyama health centre production function model. Figure 1 shows the health centre's organizational structure and service production model, which illustrates how the health centre used a number of inputs (such as personnel and equipment), to produce services (such as lab tests and patient care) that patients received. These services are produced by the patient care departments (such as the out-patient, laboratory and in-patient). This is done by way of combining the available inputs. The patient specific mix of intermediate products received is driven by a number of patient characteristics that are unique to each visit. These characteristics include demographic (e.g. sex, age) and clinical (e.g. diagnoses) information [25]. Patient care departments also use services from other departments that do not directly lead to the production of intermediate outputs. These are the overhead departments, such as administration, dispensary and laundry. The services produced by these departments are indirect costs incurred by each patient care department.