BALANCING SERVICE COST AND PATIENT WAITING TIME: A QUEUING-BASED ECONOMIC EVALUATION OF ANTENATAL SERVICES IN NIGERIAN PUBLIC HOSPITALS

<i>Healthcare service efficiency is critical for maternal health outcomes, especially in resource-limited settings. This study conducts an economic evaluation of queuing models implemented at the antenatal clinic of the Federal Medical Centre (FMC), Umuahia, Nigeria. By applying multiphase queuing models (M/Ek/1) :(FCFS/∞/∞), this research quantifies the trade-offs between patient waiting times and service costs under different server configurations. Data were collected through direct observation, interviews, and surveys, and analyzed using TORA and R. Four service models were simulated to determine their economic feasibility. The findings demonstrate that while full multi-server configurations reduce waiting time drastically, hybrid models (Model III) strike a better balance between cost efficiency and patient satisfaction. This implies that service delivery at a public hospital can be enhanced with informed modifications in server configurations. These insights offer vital guidance for healthcare policymakers seeking to optimize limited resources while maintaining quality maternal healthcare.</i>