TITLE:
The Moderating Effect of Finance on the Provision of Universal Health Care in Lusaka Province Public Health Facilities, Zambia
AUTHORS:
Doreen Chanda Mwansa, Mike Goma
KEYWORDS:
Universal Health Coverage, Drug Availability, Health Financing, Public Health Facilities, Healthcare Personnel, Medical Equipment, Health Facility Infrastructure
JOURNAL NAME:
Open Journal of Business and Management,
Vol.14 No.6,
November
3,
2026
ABSTRACT: Universal Health Coverage (UHC) requires health systems to provide accessible, affordable, equitable and quality healthcare services without exposing individuals and households to financial hardship. This study examined whether facility-level finance moderates the relationships between drug availability, healthcare personnel, medical equipment, health facility infrastructure and UHC service provision in Lusaka Province, Zambia. The study adopted a positivist philosophy and a quantitative explanatory cross-sectional design. Data were collected from 104 healthcare professionals working in facilities within the public health delivery system in Lusaka Province. A structured questionnaire containing 60 closed-ended items across six constructs was administered using a five-point Likert scale. Hierarchical multiple regression was specified in three steps: the four health-system inputs were entered in Step 1, finance was added in Step 2, and the four input × finance interaction terms were entered in Step 3. Step 1 explained 55.1% of the variance in UHC provision. Step 2 explains 72.9% of the variance and the full interaction model 74.7%. The interaction block therefore contributes a further 1.8 percentage points of explained variance beyond the direct contribution of finance. In the full model, finance remained positively associated with UHC provision (B = 0.312, β = 0.298, p