Perceived impact of COVID-19 lockdown on access to healthcare services, food affordability and family income among married patients of a resource-limited primary care setting

Abstract

Objective: To examine the perceived impact of COVID-19 lockdown on access to healthcare services, food affordability, and family income during the first phase of the pandemic among married people of a resource-limited primary care setting in Kano, Nigeria. Methods: This survey involved 432 married respondents systematically selected from attendees of a primary care clinic in Kano, Nigeria, using a structured questionnaire. Results: Over half (53.5%) of respondents or their family members fell ill during the lockdown; 67.1% felt it difficult to access hospital treatment, while 32.9% sick patients resorted to self-medication. Over half (57.2%) could afford food as they used to, 75.0% reported that food items were costly, while 35.9% received government assistance. Only 29.9% had employment, of which 49.6% received a salary, while 29.5% had their salaries reduced. Educational level was significantly associated with ease of accessing healthcare services (χ2 =8.528, P=0.014). Age (χ2=12.209, P<0.001), family type (χ2 =12.943, P<0.001), home location in Kano state (χ2= 15.397, P<0.001) and family headcount (χ2=3.968, P=0.044) were significantly associated with perceived food affordability. Conclusions: This study demonstrated the negative impact of the lockdown on healthcare access, food affordability, and family income among respondents’ families. This suggests the need for more investments in promoting and scaling up telemedicine services as platforms for accessing healthcare, which could be utilized in similar future events. More studies will be needed to ascertain the complete picture of the implementation of social assistance in the study area to enhance planning and distribution of future government social assistance.