Impact of COVID-19 on maternal newborn child health services in Federal Medical Centre Gusau, Zamfara State

Abstract

Background: Infectious diseases have been a constant threat to people’s health and survival, at least thirty re-emerging and emerging diseases (Parks,2009) are known to be of public health importance posing a burden to the health system; in addition, emergence of COVID-19  further tested the resilience of the health system to respond to public health emergencies (NCDC,2020). This study assessed the effect of COVID-19 on use of maternal and child health (MNCH) services with objectives being  the impact on family planning use, antenatal care visits, facility-based delivery and child related services such as immunization, child nutrition and outpatient clinic in FMC Gusau. Data from units offering MNCH services for six months (three months pre-covid-19 index case (January to March) and three months post covid-19 index case (April to June), corresponding to the period of lockdown, in addition same periods in the previous year (2019) was retrieved and entered into Statically package for social sciences (SPSS) now IBM statistic, comparison was made using comparable period of the year as well as a pre and post Covid index case. Over the six-months period, aggregate data shows that hospital visit for all categories of maternal newborn and child health reduced three months (April, May and June) post covid index case in the facility and subsequent proclamation of lockdown in the State, as compared to three-months pre-covid (January, February and first three weeks of March) Despite the additional burden imposed by the emergence of COVID-19 in FMC Gusau and the Attendant stretched on health system, the resilience of the health system was brought to fore,  however with support from Federal ministry of health, National Centre for disease control and other agencies, FMC Gusau was able to use the COVID-19 emergency to strengthen service provision.