ABSTRACT

The need for this study stems from the fallacy that public institutions need not delight customers. Indeed, these institutions have been considered as not having 'customers' per se with the publics whom they serve being given little attention. This originates from the reasoning that, when public institutions render service, the people they serve are not necessarily in the class of customers such as those in the private sector. The concern, aggression and innovation seen in private sector service delivery are not reflected in the public sector. It is in this light that this study sought, 'To investigate the place of the customer in public institutions.' To this end, the study reviewed literature, journals and articles from past studies in this field. It targeted employees of National Hospital Insurance Fund (NHIF) in all branches and departments. A representative sample population of sixty three respondents was used after random selection. The random sampling allowed the researcher to collect data in respect to objectives of the study. Data was collected through questionnaires administered in personal interviews. It was analyzed using descriptive and advanced.statistics. Tables, pie charts, bar graphs and percentages were applied to present reports.