GhanaHealthNews

Research: COVID-19 did not have negative impact on health-care delivery in Ghana

According to the research, pregnant women still used the usual health facilities for themselves and their babies amid the COVID-19 pandemic

Findings of a rapid assessment of the impact of COVID-19 on health services delivery at selected health facilities in Ghana has shown that the pandemic did not have any significant negative impact on the number of childbirths in hospitals.

The assessment, carried out in 18 selected hospitals under the Christian Health Association of Ghana (CHAG), showed that health-care delivery was higher in the first half of 2020 than the first half of the previous year.

According to the findings, pregnant women were still using health facilities for themselves and their babies, even amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

The assessment was carried out in middle- and lower-level health facilities in the northern, middle and southern belts of Ghana and had funding from STAR-Ghana Foundation.

Dr James Duah, the deputy executive director of CHAG, who disseminated findings of the rapid assessment at a media engagement in Accra on Wednesday, said the study sought to document and share lessons about the impact of the pandemic on local health systems, particularly in rural communities where there are gaps in resource generation.

Slashed rates of infection

The assessment focused on reproductive, maternal, newborn and child health (RMNCH) services across the target CHAG facilities.

Findings of the assessment have, however, provided input for reform based on the effects of COVID-19 on Ghana’s health-care delivery system.

The rapid assessment showed that hand hygiene, mass masking and social distancing had a positive effect, reducing the incidence of certain complaints such as diarrhoeal disease and respiratory tract infection.

That, it said, may in turn have contributed to reducing the numbers attending health facilities.

Dr Duah said the wearing of face masks promoted respiratory health and offered the needed protection.

“Now we know how to keep diarrhoea and respiratory tract infections low through the use of face masks and hand hygiene, we need to promote face mask use if we want to keep diarrhoea and respiratory diseases down. However, there is a need to research into the effect of face masks on productivity before institutionalising [their use],” he said.

He noted that the survey established a decline in respiratory tract infections and diarrhoeal diseases, helping to abate cholera outbreaks.

Herbal factor

Dr Duah said a higher number of pregnancies was recorded during the COVID-19 season, largely due to “work from home”, lockdown and the closing of schools. He therefore urged health administrators to consider investing in family planning.

Findings of the survey also highlighted the need for research into the use of herbal medicines purported to mitigate the spread and impact of COVID-19.

The report said studies of the effectiveness of steam inhalation in preventing COVID-19 or in the treatment of malaria could add valuable knowledge to Ghana’s health system in its quest to contain COVID-19.

“While equipment, medicines and services are available even in the advent of COVID-19, it is important to pay attention to waste disposal systems. There are inadequate systems at the basic level and this may contribute to spread of nosocomial infections,” it said.

The assessment further stressed the need to invest in local production that will reduce the cost of personal protective equipment.

The number of COVID-19 infections in Ghana stands at 91,477 and there had been 763 deaths from the disease as of 10 April 2021.

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Source
Ghana News Agency
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