Policy Guidelines to Mitigate the Effects of Covid-19 Pandemic towards the Reproductive Healthcare System in Kenya: A Review

Abstract

The first case of COVID-19 emerged in Wuhan, China in December 2019. The virus was declared a global pandemic by the World Health Organization in March 11, 2020. In East Africa, Kenya was leading with 250,000 cases as at October 30th 2021. The Ministry of Health (MoH) was tasked with responding to the pandemic to contain the spread. This was a qualitative study and the study objectives included; determining how decision-making process occurs, strategies to mitigate the effects of COVID-19 to the reproductive health care system, exploring the role of the ad-hoc committee of experts and the COVID-19 Task Force in the response and finding out the factors that policy actors consider when formulating policies. Taguette Software was used to analyze the data qualitatively. The study findings from key informants and document analysis established that, leadership, coordination and collaboration from the different sectors for the COVID-19 response was key. Societal values influenced policy decisions. The study established that, where major political elites had most power, policy was actioned. The MoH should develop contextualized mitigation plans to sustain service provision; focusing on capacity strengthening of providers on emergency responses, task shifting and tele-health. Policy guidelines should be continuously updated to reflect the current status at the national and sub-national levels. In conclusion, the health policy triangle provided a framework for simplifying the complex and dynamic nature of policy making but little consideration to other aspects that describe how and why policies are modified were considered. This needs to be exhaustive. Keywords: COVID-19, Reproductive Healthcare System, Guidelines, Mitigation, Decision Making, Policy Action, Kenya & Task Force