Providing HIV Prevention of Mother to Child Transmission (PMTCT) Services to Migrants During the COVID-19 Pandemic in South Africa: Insights of Healthcare Providers
Background: In March 2020, COVID-19 entered South Africa, resulting in 2.9 million cases, the country took preventative and precautionary measures to control the spread of COVID-19 infection. These measures limited population mobility especially for migrant women living with HIV (WLWH) and the provision of PMTCT services. The purpose of this research was to explore the […]
Experiences and Perceptions of Telephone-delivery of the Common Elements Treatment Approach for Mental Health Needs Among Young People in Zambia During the COVID-19 Pandemic
Background: Mental and behavioral health needs are immense in low-to-middle income countries (LMIC), particularly for adolescents and young adults (AYA). However, access to mental health services is limited in LMIC due to barriers such as distance to a health care site, low number of providers, and other structural and logistical challenges. During the COVID-19 pandemic, […]
Women empowerment and health insurance utilisation in Rwanda: a nationwide cross-sectional survey
Background: Health insurance coverage is one of the several measures being implemented to reduce the inequity in access to quality health services among vulnerable groups. Although women’s empowerment has been viewed as a cost-effective strategy for the reduction of maternal and child morbidity and mortality, as it enables women to tackle the barriers to accessing […]
A tale of ‘politics and stars aligning’: Analysing the sustainability of scaled up digital tools for front-line health workers in India
Introduction India has become a lighthouse for large-scale digital innovation in the health sector, particularly for front-line health workers (FLHWs). However, among scaled digital health solutions, ensuring sustainability remains elusive. This study explores the factors underpinning scale-up of digital health solutions for FLHWs in India, and the potential implications of these factors for sustainability. Methods […]
Health system resilience during COVID-19 understanding SRH service adaptation in North Kivu
Background: There is often collateral damage to health systems during epidemics, affecting women and girls the most, with reduced access to non-outbreak related services, particularly in humanitarian settings. This rapid case study examines sexual and reproductive health (SRH) services in the Democratic Republic of the Congo when the COVID-19 hit, towards the end of an […]
Knowledge, Attitude, and Practice towards COVID-19 among Mothers in Dessie Town, Northeast Ethiopia, 2020
Background. Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a highly infectious disease causing a catastrophic effect, and many of us are worried to find a new normal. Many burdens are occurring in households, predominantly to women and mothers. Women worldwide are naive on COVID-19 symptoms, transmission, and prevention measures and worried on being exposed to coronavirus. The […]
Healthworker preparedness for COVID-19 management and implementation experiences: a mixed methods study in Uganda’s refugee-hosting districts
Background: The negative impact of COVID-19 on population health outcomes raises critical questions on health system preparedness and resilience, especially in resource-limited settings. This study examined healthworker preparedness for COVID-19 management and implementation experiences in Uganda’s refugee-hosting districts. Methods: A cross sectional, mixed-method descriptive study in 17 health facilities in 7 districts from 4 major […]
Prevalence and risk factors of sars-cov-2 infection among parturients and newborns from luanda, angola
SARS-CoV-2 emerged in China in December 2019, creating a massive public health concern. Although previous studies have identified SARS-CoV-2 in pregnant women, the possibility of transmission to newborns remains uncertain. Herein, we investigated SARS-CoV-2 infection and risk factors among parturients and newborns. This was a cross-sectional study carried out with 3633 parturients from Luanda, Angola, […]
Mortality beyond emergency threshold in a silent crisis– results from a population-based mortality survey in Ouaka prefecture, Central African Republic, 2020
Background: The Central African Republic (CAR) suffers a protracted conflict and has the second lowest human development index in the world. Available mortality estimates vary and differ in methodology. We undertook a retrospective mortality study in the Ouaka prefecture to obtain reliable mortality data. Methods: We conducted a population-based two-stage cluster survey from 9 March […]
Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and response on the utilisation of health services in public facilities during the first wave in Kinshasa, the Democratic Republic of the Congo
Introduction Health service use among the public can decline during outbreaks and had been predicted among low and middle-income countries during the COVID-19 pandemic. In March 2020, the government of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) started implementing public health measures across Kinshasa, including strict lockdown measures in the Gombe health zone. Methods Using […]
