The devastating impacts and lessons learnt from other epidemic contexts show that health systems in low-income and middle-income countries (LMICs) and fragile and humanitarian contexts have a low capacity to implement an emergency response during disease outbreaks such as the COVID-19 pandemic caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus.1 2 Such unprecedented emergency and humanitarian situations burden health systems, which, even before the disease outbreak, have struggled to provide quality essential services. Very few studies have demonstrated how COVID-19 affects progress towards achieving sustainable development goals (SDGs), especially SDG number 3 in countries including Kenya and Ethiopia. In this study, we assessed COVID-19’s impact on antenatal and skilled delivery care, focusing on subnational levels to identify healthcare disruption hotspots that may require targeted interventions and help policymakers prioritise resources to help accelerate progress.
Authors: Michael Give Chipeta, Maame Brayie Peterson, Ruth Vellemu, Sahra Mohamed, Themba Mzembe, Chimwemwe Chifungo and Nyovani Janet Madise
Full text link: https://bmjpublichealth.bmj.com/content/1/1/e000009