Artikel
Effect of Covid-19 pandemic on reproductive, maternal and child health services in Sub-Saharan Africa with a focus on Ghana
Suche in Medline nach
Autoren
-
Abdul-Razak Adam
- School of Public Health, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Ghana
-
Edward Dassah
- School of Public Health, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Ghana
-
Wilm Quentin
- Technische Universität, Berlin, Germany
-
Easmon Otupiri
- School of Public Health, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Ghana
| Veröffentlicht: | 28. November 2023 |
|---|
Gliederung
Text
Background research questions: Globally, the Covid-19 pandemic has had profound effects on Reproductive, Maternal and Child Health (RMCH) services. However, the extent of the impact on RMCH services in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) and Ghana is unknown. This study aims to determine the effect of the pandemic on RMCH services in SSA with a focus on Ghana guided by the following research questions;
- 1.
- What is the effect of Covid-19 pandemic on RMCH health services in SSA?
- 2.
- How has Covid-19 outbreak altered access to routine RMCH services in Ghana?
- 3.
- How has the outbreak of Covid-19 altered the utilization of routine RMCH services in Ghana?
- 4.
- What strategies have healthcare providers implemented to maintain quality standard care for RMCH services during the Covid-19 pandemic?
Methods: This study will employ a mixed-methods approach, combining quantitative and qualitative methods in a cross-sectional analytical study. The methods will include a systematic review and meta-analysis, secondary data analyses using the Ghana District Health Information Management System (DHIMS-2) and multiple rounds of the 2022 Ghana Demographic and Health Survey (DHS) data will be performed using the interrupted time series analyses. This will help assess differences between the pre-pandemic and pandemic phases. In-depth interviews with RMCH healthcare providers will yield qualitative data, which will be transcribed and analyzed with NVIVO version 12. The results from both quantitative and qualitative methods will be triangulated to validate emerging themes. Ethical clearance for the study will be sought from the Committee on Human Research, Publication and Ethics (KNUST), Kumasi and the Ghana Health Service Ethical Review Committee.
Expected findings: The study will contribute significantly to our understanding of the effect of the pandemic on access to and utilization of routine RMCH services in SSA and Ghana. It will provide insights into existing literature, quantify the time and extent of the pandemic’s impact in Ghana, and assess its implications for healthcare access. The study will also shed light on measures taken by healthcare providers to ensure uninterrupted delivery of high-quality RMCH services.
Discussion: This study has the potential to inform policy decisions by enhancing our understanding of the pandemic’s effect on RMCH services. It may inspire future policies for pandemic preparedness and refinement of healthcare delivery. This study represents the first rigorous analysis of the pandemic’s effect on RMCH services in Ghana, providing vital data for evidence-based policy formulation. It will also highlight pandemic mitigation strategies employed by healthcare providers, which could further inform preparedness policies in Ghana.
