ORIGINAL ARTICLES Effect of COVID-19 Pandemic on Utilization of Paediatric Health Services at the Federal Medical Centre, Asaba, Nigeria

West Afr J Med . 2023 Mar 31;40(3):292-297

Abstract

Abstract  in English, French

Background and objectives: Corona virus disease was declared a global pandemic in March 2020 and it precipitated unprecedented and devastating crisis on non-COVID hospital visits in almost all the countries within the globe, with a downward slide in the number of paediatric consultations and emergency admissions. Thus, we assessed the utilization of services offered in the department of Paediatrics and the observed mortality rates in comparison to similar non-pandemic period.

Methods: This study was carried out in the department of Pediatrics, Federal Medical Center Asaba. All the admissions at the children's ward and emergency, then visits at clinics and the immunization center were reviewed using a consecutive sampling method from April 2019 to September 2019 (pre COVID-19) and April 2020 to September 2020 (during COVID-19 pandemic).

Results: The total number of vaccines given in the immunization clinic was higher during the pre-COVID-19 period, so also the number of clinic visits. There was a decline in admission by 68.2% from the pre-COVID period to the pandemic period and this decline was across all age groups and gender. Also, a 60.8% increase in mortality was observed during the COVID-19 period and mortality pattern showed no gender difference across both study periods.

Conclusion: There was a decline in the utilization of health services at the Department of Paediatrics, Federal Medical Center Asaba, during the COVID-19 pandemic, with a rise in mortality, despite the fact that all the units of the department were fully operational within the period of pandemic.

Keywords: Admission; Children; Clinic; Covid-19; Effect; Health services; Mortality; Pandemic; Utilization.

B U Ezeonwu ¹, C O Okike ¹, K A Adeniran ¹, E E Omoyibo ¹, E Onyeka-Okite ¹, H I Opara ¹, U C Ajanwenyi Joseph ¹, O M Uwadia ¹, A A Okolo ¹