Challenges of PregnantWomen Accessing Focused Antenatal Clinic During Covid-19 Pandemic Lockdown in Wuse District Hospital, Abuja, Nigeria

Abstract

Background: Most maternal deaths are linked to pregnancy and childbearing. In an attempt to improve maternal and child health, World Health Organisation introduced focused Antenatal care (ANC). All the activities of the world were at a standstill at the outbreak of COVID-19 in 2020, including obstetric care. Aim: To explore pregnant women's challenges in accessing ANC in Wuse district hospital Abuja during the COVID-19 lockdown. Methods: A descriptive crosssectional survey was conducted among mothers attending ANC at Wuse District Hospital. A purposive sampling technique was employed to select 99 participants for the study. Data were collected via a semi-structured questionnaire and analyzed using descriptive statistics. Results: More than one-quarter (25.3%) were between the age range of 25-30 years, while 57.6% had tertiary education. Also, 80.8% of the participants lived outside the hospital environment, and 62.6% were either civil servants or self-employed. The findings reveal that most (78.8%) of the participants could not attend antenatal appointments as scheduled while only 21.2% could receive ANC at the appropriate time. Challenges of the participants in receiving ANC include closing down of the antenatal clinic because of COVID-19 (28.3%), the difficulty of movement due to COVID-19 lockdown (41.4%), unavailability of staff as they have been drafted into isolation centers (9%) and transport problem (21.2%). Conclusion: The majority of the participants could not attend ANC as recommended during the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown. Adequate provision needs to be provided for pregnant women to have access to quality healthcare during pandemics.