Abstract
The COVID-19 pandemic has been the most challenging public health issue which not only affected the physical health of the global population but also aggravated the mental health conditions such as stress, anxiety, fear, depression and anger. While mental health services are seriously hampered amid this COVID-19 pandemic, health services, particularly those of Low- and Middle- Income Countries (LMICs) are looking for alternatives to provide psychosocial support to the people amid this COVID-19 and beyond. Community Health Workers (CHWs) are an integral part of the health systems in many LMICs and played significant roles such as health education, contact tracing, isolation and mobilization during past emergencies and amid COVID-19 in many LMICs. However, despite their potentials in providing psychosocial support to the people amid this COVID-19 pandemic, they have been underutilized in most health systems in LMICs. The CHWs can be effectively engaged to provide psychosocial support at the community level. Engaging them can also be cost-saving as they are already in place and may cost less compared to other health professionals. However, they need training and supervision and their safety and security needs to be protected during this COVID-19. While many LMICs have mental health policies but their enactment is limited due to the fragility of health systems and limited health care resources. CHWs can contribute in this regard and help to address the psychosocial vulnerabilities of affected population in LMICs during COVID-19 and beyond.
Highlights
The COVID-19 pandemic has been the most challenging global public health issue so far in this century
Datiko and Lindtjørn [66] found that involving Health Extension Workers (HEWs) in TB treatment was a cost-effective alternative to health facility delivery. Despite their potential to provide psychosocial support to the people at the community level in Low- and Middle- Income Countries (LMICs), during this overwhelming situation, Community Health Workers (CHWs) have been underutilized in this role [67, 68]
Recognizing the high burden of mental health disorders, various LMICs have passed policies and laws, but the implementation of these seems challenging because of fragility of the health systems, inadequate human resources for mental health, and ineffective decision making by health leaders [85]
Summary
The COVID-19 pandemic has been the most challenging global public health issue so far in this century. The unplanned lockdown and isolation imposed due to COVID-19 and subsequent difficulty in accessing food, health care, medication, and psychological support have exacerbated anxiety, depression, post-traumatic stress disorder among people from all age group [3, 4]. The mental health and well-being of the population has been disrupted due to the large-scale outbreaks and pandemics. Mental health services have been seriously disrupted during the COVID-19 pandemic worldwide. A recent survey carried out in 130 countries reported that mental health services were seriously hampered during the pandemic [10]. Several researchers pointed the challenges to mental health services during this pandemic and suggested for alternative ways to provide psychosocial support services [11]. People from LMICs with limited access to the internet are largely unable to avail themselves of these services [13]
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