ABSTRACT : The aim of this thesis is to improve the quality of healthcare for patients who use Bahrain's secondary health services. The issue of quality management can only be understood within the wider context of political and social change in the Kingdom of Bahrain. Thus, the dissertation begins by mapping out some of key political and administrative changes from 1999 onwards; a year which marked the cautious beginning of democratisation within the Kingdom. Using Donabedian's framework of analysis, the thesis presents the findings from primary empirical research which establishes the quality of healthcare in Bahrain. This study elicits the views of both patients and professionals at the Salmaniya Medical Complex, Bahrain's only general hospital. However, to provide a theoretical and practical basis for future quality management initiatives within the Bahraini health services, these views will greatly assist in the preparation of high quality processes and physical settings of a proposed new hospital. Based on the results of a questionnaire with over a 50% response rate, the majority of respondents appeared satisfied with the quality of healthcare. However, a number of key suggestions were made, including concern over staffing levels and the quality of administration at the hospital. Therefore, the dissertation makes a key several recommendations based on this empirical evidence, but more widely, it is clear that democratisation in Bahrain has made an important impact on the management of healthcare. However, the impact is still not clearly understood. As democratisation proceeds, the findings of this research should help to clarify this process by analysing the perceptions of quality of key stakeholders in the health service; those who provide it and those who use it.