Impact of COVID-19 Lockdown Restrictions on Access to Ante-Natal and Post-Natal Care Services by Women of Childbearing Age in Harare, Zimbabwe

Abstract

The research aimed to assess the impact of the COVID-19 lockdown restrictions on access to ante-natal and post-natal care services by women of childbearing age in Harare, Zimbabwe. The study used a crosssectional explanatory research design to assess the effects of lockdown restrictions on access to ante-natal and post-natal care services by women of childbearing age in Harare, Zimbabwe. A multi-stage cluster sampling was used to select the study respondents, who were women of childbearing age. The researcher used the structured questionnaire to electronically elicit data from a sample of 384 women of childbearing age in Harare between December 2021 and January 2022. Data were analyzed using a Statistical Package for Social Scientists (SPSS). Descriptive statistics were used to determine the proportion of women who accessed ante-natal and post-natal care services during the COVID-19 lockdown period. Furthermore, inferential statistical analysis was used to assess the level of satisfaction, comfortability, and accessibility of the ante-natal and post-natal care services by women of childbearing age. Data analysis revealed that the COVID-19 lockdowns greatly affected access to ante-natal and post-natal care services during the coronavirus pandemic. The results revealed decreased levels of satisfaction and “comfortability” with the ante-natal and post-natal care services women were receiving as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. These results showed that there is a need for the government to offer resources such as more health workers, equipment to support mobile clinic services and to provide suitable personal protective equipment to the health workers during pandemics. This will ensure that access to ante-natal and postnatal care services are not disrupted during future pandemics.