Maintaining essential healthcare services in Addis Ababa during COVID-19: A qualitative study

Fenta, Esete Habtemariam, Tassew, Berhan, Abera, Admas, Wolde, Firmaye Bogale, Legesse, Meseret, Pulford, Justin ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4756-8480, Mor, Siobhan and Kaba, Mirgissa (2024) 'Maintaining essential healthcare services in Addis Ababa during COVID-19: A qualitative study'. PLoS ONE, Vol 19, Issue 12, e0308534.

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Abstract

Background
Worldwide, health systems have been challenged by the overwhelming demands of the COVID-19 pandemic. In Ethiopia, maintaining essential health services during the COVID-19 pandemic is critical to preventing severe outcomes and protecting the gains made over the past years in the health sector. This project aims to explore the health system’s response to maintaining essential healthcare services in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

Methods
A total of 60 key informant interviews were conducted by purposively selecting key stakeholders from Federal Ministry of Health, Addis Ababa Regional Health Bureau, Sub-city Health Offices, and frontline healthcare providers. Interviews were transcribed verbatim and coded using Open Code. Thematic analysis was employed to analyze the data.

Result
COVID-19 affected the delivery of essential health services in several ways, namely: decline in health service utilization, fear of infection among healthcare providers, stigma towards healthcare providers, and perceived decrease in quality-of-service provision. However, the health system actors made efforts to sustain services while responding to the pandemic by enacting changes in the service delivery modality. The most significant service delivery changes included repurposing health centers and prolonged prescriptions (multi-month medication dispensing). The primary challenges encountered were burnout of the health workforce and a shortage of personal protective equipment.

Conclusion
COVID-19 has affected the delivery of essential health services in multifaceted ways. System actors have accordingly made efforts to sustain services while responding to the pandemic.

Item Type:	Article
Subjects:	W General Medicine. Health Professions > Health Services. Patients and Patient Advocacy > W 84 Health services. Delivery of health care WA Public Health > WA 30 Socioeconomic factors in public health (General) WC Communicable Diseases > Virus Diseases > Viral Respiratory Tract Infections. Respirovirus Infections > WC 506 COVID-19
Faculty: Department:	Clinical Sciences & International Health > International Public Health Department
Digital Object Identifer (DOI):	https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0308534
SWORD Depositor:	JISC Pubrouter
Depositing User:	JISC Pubrouter
Date Deposited:	24 Jan 2025 09:02
Last Modified:	24 Jan 2025 09:02
URI:	https://archive.lstmed.ac.uk/id/eprint/25896

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