Provision and Utilization of COVID-19-related Services in Rivers State during the Pandemic

Authors

  • Soroye MO School of Public Health, College of Health Sciences, University of Port Harcourt, Port Harcourt, Rivers State, Nigeria/ Department of Preventive Dentistry, Faculty of Dentistry, College of Health Sciences, University of Port Harcourt, Rivers State.
  • Imarhiagbe C Department of Family Medicine, Rivers State University, Rivers State, Nigeria
  • Nnokam B Department of Family Medicine, Rivers State University, Rivers State, Nigeria
  • Owhonda G Department of Public Health, Ministry of Health, Port Harcourt, Rivers State, Nigeria
  • Ameh S Department of Epidemiology, University of Calabar, Cross-River State, Nigeria
  • Ordinioha B School of Public Health, College of Health Sciences, University of Port Harcourt, Port Harcourt, Rivers State, Nigeria

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.60787/tnhj.v24i1.747

Keywords:

Presenting symptoms, COVID-19-related services, demographics, provision, utilization, Rivers State

Abstract

Background: The COVID-19 outbreak which started in China became a pandemic and Rivers State recorded its first case in March 2020. This research assessed the provision and utilization of COVID-19-related services in Rivers State during the pandemic.

Method: This study was done in two phases. The first with interviewer-administered questionnaires to assess the community participants’ utilization and opinion about the adequacy of COVID-19-related services provided and the second was the collection of data on the provision and adequacy of those services from the healthcare workers who worked at the COVID-19 treatment centers. Analysis was done using IBM Statistical Product and Service Solutions (SPSS) version 25. Statistical significance was set at p<0.05.

Result: The COVID-19-related services were provided by many stakeholders such as the Federal Government in collaboration with the state government and agencies like the Red Cross. Over 80 percent of community participants were aware of the services provided and 32.8% utilized them; though various reasons were given as challenges for non-utilization such as the fear of leaving the house (63%) and contracting the infection from the health centers (68.7%), lack of facemasks (42.7%), because family members forbade it (41%). The health workers' challenges were increased workload (85.7%), not getting the PPE in their right sizes (55.4%), discomfort with the use of PPE (62.5%), little/no incentives (75%), fear of being infected (78.6%) and fear of infecting loved ones (82,1%).  At least 6 out of 10 healthcare workers and 7 out of 10 community participants reported that most of the government-provided services, were adequate.

Conclusion: 3 out of 10 persons utilized the COVID-19-related services provided in Rivers State and most of them were deemed adequate by both community members and COVID-19 center health workers.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

References

Covid WHO. Dashboard. Geneva: World Health Organization 2020 @ https://covid19.who.int. Assessed December 22, 2023.

Zhu H, Wei L, Niu P. The novel coronavirus outbreak in Wuhan, China. Global health research and policy. 2020; 5:1-3.

Ogundokun RO, Lukman AF, Kibria GB, Awotunde JB, Aladeitan BB. Predictive modelling of COVID-19 confirmed cases in Nigeria. Infectious Disease Modelling. 2020; 5:543-8.

Martellucci CA, Flacco ME, Cappadona R, Bravi F, Mantovani L, Manzoli L. SARS-CoV-2 pandemic: An overview. Advances in biological regulation. 2020; 77:100736.

Jacobsen KH. Will COVID-19 generate global preparedness? The Lancet. 2020; 395(10229):1013-4.

Rosenthal PJ, Breman JG, Djimde AA, John CC, Kamya MR, Leke RG, et al. COVID-19: shining the light on Africa. The American journal of tropical medicine and hygiene. 2020; 102(6):1145.

Mbow M, Lell B, Jochems SP, Cisse B, Mboup S, Dewals BG, et al. COVID-19 in Africa: Dampening the storm? Science. 2020; 369(6504):624-6.

Ohia C, Bakarey AS, Ahmad T. COVID-19 and Nigeria: putting the realities in context. International Journal of Infectious Diseases. 2020; 95:279-81.

Adepoju P. Nigeria responds to COVID-19; first case detected in sub-Saharan Africa. Nat Med. 2020; 26(4):444-8.

Eze-Emiri C, Patrick F, Igwe E, Owhonda G. Retrospective study of COVID-19 outcomes among healthcare workers in Rivers State, Nigeria. BMJ open. 2022 Nov 1;12(11): e061826.

Owhonda G, Onyekwere N, Kanee RB, Maduka O, Nwadiuto I, Okafor C, et al. Community Awareness, Perceptions, Enablers and Potential Barriers to Non-Pharmaceutical Interventions (NPIs) in the COVID-19 Pandemic in Rivers State, Nigeria. Biomedical Journal of Scientific & Technical Research. 2021;36(5):28984-95.

Güner HR, Hasanoğlu İ, Aktaş F. COVID-19: Prevention and control measures in community. Turkish Journal of Medical Sciences. 2020;50(9):571-7.

Pradhan D, Biswasroy P, Naik PK, Ghosh G, Rath G. A review of current interventions for COVID-19 prevention. Archives of medical research. 2020; 51(5):363-74.

Dadras O, Alinaghi SA, Karimi A, MohsseniPour M, Barzegary A, Vahedi F, et al. Effects of COVID-19 prevention procedures on other common infections: a systematic review. European journal of medical research. 2021; 26(1):1-3.

Baye K. COVID-19 prevention measures in Ethiopia: current realities and prospects. Intl Food Policy Res Inst; 2020.

Lee HH, Lin SH. Effects of COVID-19 prevention measures on other common infections, Taiwan. Emerging Infectious Diseases. 2020; 26(10):2509.

Briko N, Kagramanyan I, Nikiforov V, Suranova T, Chernyavskaya O, Polezhaeva N. Pandemic COVID-19. Prevention measures in the Russian federation.

Madhusudanan A, Iddon C, Cevik M, Naismith JH, Fitzgerald S. Non-pharmaceutical interventions for COVID-19: a systematic review on environmental control measures. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society A. 2023; 381(2257):20230130.

Chan EY, Shahzada TS, Sham TS, Dubois C, Huang Z, Liu S, et al. Narrative review of non-pharmaceutical behavioural measures for the prevention of COVID-19 (SARS-CoV-2) based on the health-EDRM framework. British medical bulletin. 2020; 136(1):46.

Baker RE, Park SW, Yang W, Vecchi GA, Metcalf CJ, Grenfell BT. The impact of COVID-19 nonpharmaceutical interventions on the future dynamics of endemic infections. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. 2020; 117(48):30547-53.

Lionello L, Stranges D, Karki T, Wiltshire E, Proietti C, Annunziato A, et al. Response Measures Database working group. Non-pharmaceutical interventions in response to the COVID-19 pandemic in 30 European countries: the ECDC–JRC Response Measures Database. Eurosurveillance. 2022; 27(41):2101190.

Snoeijer BT, Burger M, Sun S, Dobson RJ, Folarin AA. Measuring the effect of Non-Pharmaceutical Interventions (NPIs) on mobility during the COVID-19 pandemic using global mobility data. NPJ digital medicine. 2021; 4(1):81.

Campisi T, Basbas S, Skoufas A, Kaltsidis A, Tesoriere G. The impact of COVID-19 is not gender neutral: regional scale changes in modal choices in Sicily. Transportation Research Procedia. 2023; 69:584-91.

Reyes-Vega MF, Soto-Cabezas MG, Cárdenas F, Martel KS, Valle A, Valverde J, Vidal-Anzardo M, Falcón ME, Munayco CV. SARS-CoV-2 prevalence associated to low socioeconomic status and overcrowding in an LMIC megacity: A population-based seroepidemiological survey in Lima, Peru. E Clinical Medicine, 2021; 1:34.

Balogun M, Banke-Thomas A, Sekoni A, Boateng GO, Yesufu V, Wright O, et al. Challenges in access and satisfaction with reproductive, maternal, newborn and child health services in Nigeria during the COVID-19 pandemic: A cross-sectional survey. PloS one. 2021; 16(5): e0251382.

Ahmed SA, Ajisola M, Azeem K, Bakibinga P, Chen YF, Choudhury NN, et al. Impact of the societal response to COVID-19 on access to healthcare for non-COVID-19 health issues in slum communities of Bangladesh, Kenya, Nigeria and Pakistan: results of pre-COVID and COVID-19 lockdown stakeholder engagements. BMJ global health. 2020; 5(8): e003042.

Assefa N, Sié A, Wang D, Korte ML, Hemler EC, Abdullahi YY, et al. Reported barriers to healthcare access and service disruptions caused by COVID-19 in Burkina Faso, Ethiopia, and Nigeria: a telephone survey. The American journal of tropical medicine and hygiene. 2021; 105(2):323.

Shapira G, Ahmed T, Drouard SH, Amor Fernandez P, Kandpal E, Nzelu C, et al. Disruptions in maternal and child health service utilization during COVID-19: analysis from eight sub-Saharan African countries. Health policy and planning. 2021; 36(7):1140-51.

Adelekan B, Goldson E, Abubakar Z, Mueller U, Alayande A, Ojogun T, et al. Effect of COVID-19 pandemic on provision of sexual and reproductive health services in primary health facilities in Nigeria: a cross-sectional study. Reproductive health. 2021; 18(1):1-2.

Awucha NE, Janefrances OC, Meshach AC, Henrietta JC, Daniel AI, Chidiebere NE. Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on consumers’ access to essential medicines in Nigeria. The American journal of tropical medicine and hygiene. 2020; 103(4):1630.

Razu SR, Yasmin T, Arif TB, Islam MS, Islam SM, Gesesew HA, et al. Challenges faced by healthcare professionals during the COVID-19 pandemic: a qualitative inquiry from Bangladesh. Frontiers in public health. 2021:1024.

Koontalay A, Suksatan W, Prabsangob K, Sadang JM. Healthcare workers’ burdens during the COVID-19 pandemic: A qualitative systematic review. Journal of Multidisciplinary Healthcare. 2021; 3015-25.

Downloads

Published

2024-03-29

How to Cite

Soroye, M. O., Imarhiagbe, C., Nnokam, B., Owhonda, G., Ameh, S., & Ordinioha, B. (2024). Provision and Utilization of COVID-19-related Services in Rivers State during the Pandemic. The Nigerian Health Journal, 24(1), 1017–1029. https://doi.org/10.60787/tnhj.v24i1.747
Abtract Views | PDF Download | EPUB Download: 314 / 103 / 49

Most read articles by the same author(s)

1 2 > >> 

Similar Articles

<< < 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 > >> 

You may also start an advanced similarity search for this article.