Barriers and Facilitators in Access and Use of Maternal Health Services During Covid-19 Pandemic at a Tertiary Care Hospital; A Cross-Sectional Study

Abstract

Maternal health being a global health priority emphasizes strongly on reduced maternal mortality rate, in a country. The delivery of maternal and child healthcare services in weak and vulnerable health systems has been severely impacted by the change in emphasis to contain the COVID-19 epidemic. Objective: To explore, identify and determine the barriers and facilitators in access to maternal health services during COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: Cross sectional study was conducted on all married women of reproductive age group who delivered in the pandemic season and visiting vaccination center of local tertiary care hospital between March 2020 to June 2021. Females were selected through convenience sampling technique. Data was collected through questionnaires, entered and analyzed in SPSS version 26.0 Results: Major barriers to accessing maternal health services by patients were fear of contracting COVID-19 at health facilities, lack of funds to pay for services at health facilities, transportation difficulties. Facilitators determined in this study includes Covid-19 non-pharmacological measures instituted at the health facilities, community sensitization on healthcare access during the pandemic and adaptive strategies to reduce waiting time at health facilities. Conclusions: The COVID-19 pandemic had a detrimental effect on access to maternal health care, in part because of difficulties brought on by travel restrictions and the incapacity of the health systems to create an environment that would encourage continued use of maternal health services.