Methodological Evaluation of Community Health Centre Systems in Ethiopia: A Quasi-Experimental Assessment of System Reliability

Community health centres (CHCs) in Ethiopia play a critical role in primary healthcare delivery. However, their reliability and efficiency are subject to variability and need systematic evaluation. A mixed-method approach was employed, including quantitative surveys with 500 randomly selected CHC patients and qualitative interviews with 30 healthcare providers. Data were analysed using descriptive statistics and thematic analysis. The reliability of CHCs varied significantly across different regions (e.g., urban vs rural areas), with a notable difference in service availability between weekdays and weekends, affecting patient access to essential health services. CHC systems require targeted interventions to improve their consistency and accessibility, particularly addressing weekend service gaps. Strategic planning for CHCs should prioritise equitable resource distribution and ensure comprehensive coverage across all regions of Ethiopia. Community Health Centres, Reliability, Quasi-Experimental Design, Healthcare Systems Treatment effect was estimated with $\text{logit}(p_i)=\beta_0+\beta^\top X_i$, and uncertainty reported using confidence-interval based inference.