CHALLENGES ASSOCIATED WITH MANAGEMENT AND MAINTENANCE OF INSTITUTIONAL PROPERTIES

CHALLENGES ASSOCIATED WITH MANAGEMENT AND MAINTENANCE OF INSTITUTIONAL PROPERTIES

ABSTRACT

The research aims at assessing the challenges associated with management and maintenance in institutional properties. The research objectives are to investigate the current state of institutional properties and also to determine the Factors responsible for the mismanagement of the public hospital building. Simple percentage rating was used to analysis the data collected. The research  reveals that the study area adopts direct labour method of contracting a frequency of 77%.  Similarly the absence of  maintenance  strategy, poor workmanship are the most factors responsible for the  current defect in the study area with 25% each. Major causes of defects in public hospitals were identify as negligence and poor workmanship with rating of 56% and 29% respectively. Research concludes that lack of maintenance culture, poor workmanship, negligence, absence of maintenance strategies are the most factors that affects the maintenance culture in the study area.

CHAPTER ONE

1. INTRODUCTION

Public facilities are facilities provided, owned, or being monitored by government either at the federal, state or local government level. Basically, they can be classified into two namely movable facilities which are facilities like earth moving equipment, vehicles, computers, typewriters, etc., that can change location from time to time and non-movable facilities like buildings, electricity lines, pipe lines for water, etc., that cannot change their location. All these facilities, irrespective of their group needs effective regular maintenance for proper functioning of the assets acquired. The performance of public facilities depends on the degree of effective maintenance. Unfortunately, however, maintenance is one of the major problems facing the public organizations with a resultant effect of having their premises littered with broken down plants/equipments which are allowed to rust away under rainy and sunny conditions and eventually are sold as scraps (Lawal and Adeyemo, 2004).

Maintenance management in the public sector in Nigeria has suffered from lack of funds for a considerable time. While the requirements for good practice in maintenance management of building stock have been established over a considerable period, the achievement of good practice is by no means universal (Turrell, 1997). Maintenance of the built environment impacts on the whole nation. The conditions of the surroundings in which we live and learn, is a reflection of the nation’s well being. (Lee, 1987) Maintainability of building has been identified as one of the key areas in which the construction industry must achieve significant improvement (Nayantharas de Silva et al, 2004).

According to Iyagba and Adenuga, (2003) it is impossible to produce buildings which are maintenance free, but maintenance work can be minimized by good design and proper workmanship carried out by skilled experts or competent craftsmen using suitable codes of installation, requisite building materials and methods. Management of any process involves assessing performance, and maintenance management of buildings is no exception (Turrell, 1997).

In order for any maintenance manager to measure performance and set priorities, the organizational needs have to be considered i.e. the function and performance of buildings and their appropriate standards will be independent on the user’s perception and their primary needs (Chanter and Swallow, 1996). Performance of hospital buildings and their component depends to large extent on continuous and planned periodical maintenance, which challenges owners and facility managers to institute precise planning based on a well-structured maintenance programmes (Shohet et al, 2002). Despite the ever-growing need for lower operational costs, facilities managers must ensure that facilities are constructed and maintained without compromising safety. In Nigeria, colonial architecture in some of the older public buildings especially hospitals which was hitherto famous for its sturdiness and functionality has now become less attractive because of the general neglect of the buildings. Overcrowding has also led to the deterioration of the facilities installed (Onifade 2003).

If no action is taken all these old buildings and facilities will decay and will only be replaced in function if the means are available. The inadequacy of the operation and maintenance of building and infrastructure in developing countries has serious consequences for economic and social development especially on the health sector.

1.2       STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM

Existing health sector buildings in Nigeria lack adequate maintenance attention. Most public hospital buildings are in very poor and deplorable conditions of structural and decorative disrepair. While considerable of research have been carried out on factors responsible for the poor maintenance of public housing estates and offices in Nigeria but only scant attention has been given to the key parameters affecting the implementation of maintenance programmes for public hospital buildings. There is therefore a need to establish and evaluate the challenges associated with management and management institutional properties with particular reference to public hospital buildings using appropriate analysis.

1.4       Aim.

The aim of the research is to assess the challenges associated with management and maintenance of institutional properties in Nigeria. To achieve this aim the following objective were pursued.

1.4.1 Objectives

• To investigate the current state of maintenance of institutional properties in the study area.
• To assess the factors affecting institutional properties management and maintenance
• To determine the factors responsible for the mismanagement of the institutional properties in the study area.
• To determine an alternate measure of maintenance practice on the institutional properties.

1.5       Research methodology.

For the purpose of these study which reviews  relevant literature was done on the basis of which information were gathered and is been used to structure a research questionnaire for the survey other sources of information related to the topic were obtained through verbal interview.   

1.6     Scope and de-limitation.

• The study focus on the challenges associated with the management and maintenance of institutional properties in Nigeria, the current condition of maintenance management and the strategies to be adopted in improving maintenance management in the study area.
• De-limitation of the study is an assessment of maintenance management of health care and the facility used in the hospital.