Impact of corona virus disease 2019 on antenatal care services in rural western Uganda; a retrospective study

Introduction: The Coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak poses an important threat to public health but also unique challenges to healthcare workers. The pandemic has resulted into redirection of funds and attention by governments, donors, and stakeholders towards COVID-19 containment efforts, thereby diverting focus from other important issues including sexual and reproductive health. This study aimed to determine the short term impact of COVID-19 on antenatal care services at Kampala International University Teaching Hospital (KIU-TH) between March and May 2020. Methods: This was a retrospective study in which we reviewed records of mothers who attended antenatal care clinic at KIU-TH for the months of March, April and May in both 2019 and 2020. The health workers attached to the antenatal care clinic during the periods filled a questionnaire to report on challenges faced by the service providers. The data obtained was analyzed using SPSS version 22. Results: Data for 2,379 clients was analyzed in total. The percentage reduction in antenatal care attendance was 7.1% in the year 2020. The services that were significantly affected were fetal heart listening and administration of intermittent preventive treatment (IPT) for malaria prophylaxis. The main challenges faced by the service providers were: lack of transport means, excessive work, exhaustion and fear of contracting COVID-19 infection. Conclusion: COVID-19 pandemic significantly reduced antenatal care service provision during the study period. Measures should be put in place to ensure that antenatal services can be offered appropriately and safely without compromising the clients nor the health care workers during outbreaks.