ArticleBMJ open2022
Use of healthcare services during the COVID-19 pandemic in urban Ethiopia: evidence from retrospective health facility survey data.
Article in BMJ open, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 22 papers, 4 of them syntheses that pooled it.
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Who cites it
22 citing papers in PubMed, 4 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 28 citations in OpenAlex.
- Barriers and facilitators to accessing and utilising sexual and reproductive health services during the COVID-19 pandemic in Africa: a systematic review and meta-analysis.BMC health services research · 2024Pooled it
- Adequate antenatal care service utilizations after the onset of COVID-19 pandemic in Ethiopia: a systematic review and meta-analysis.Frontiers in public health · 2024Pooled it
- Pooled it
- Essential maternal health service disruptions in Ethiopia during COVID 19 pandemic: a systematic review.BMC women's health · 2022Pooled it
- Absorbing the shock: the role of lower-level health facilities in immunization resilience in Sidama, Ethiopia during COVID-19 pandemic.BMC health services research · 2026Article
- A rapid evaluation of the preparedness of Ethiopia's disease surveillance system for Mpox outbreak: a cross-sectional study of perspectives from professionals across various levels.Tropical medicine and health · 2026Article
- Exploring health system challenges and gaps for crisis response in Ethiopia: a scoping review of publications and reports from 2020-2024.BMC health services research · 2025Article
- Strengthening primary health care in Ethiopia: A scoping review of successes, challenges, and pathways towards universal health coverage using the WHO monitoring framework.PLOS global public health · 2025Article
- Cautionary lessons from the COVID-19 pandemic: Healthcare systems grappled with the dual responsibility of delivering COVID-19 and non-COVID-19 care.PLOS global public health · 2024Article
- "I was afraid to go to the hospital": A qualitative analysis and ethical implications of the impacts of COVID-19 on the health and medical care of older adults in Ethiopia.SAGE open medicine · 2024Article
- Family planning service disruptions in the first two years of the COVID-19 pandemic: Evidence from health facilities in seven low- and middle-income countries.PLOS global public health · 2024Article
- Impact of COVID-19 pandemic on mother and child health in Sub-Saharan Africa - a review.Pediatric research · 2023Review
- Prevalence and predictors of asymptomatic malaria infection in Boricha District, Sidama Region, Ethiopia: implications for elimination strategies.Malaria journal · 2023Article
- Unmet need and intention to use as predictors of adoption of contraception in 10 Performance Monitoring for Action geographies.SSM - population health · 2023Article
- Postnatal care services availability and utilization during the COVID-19 era in sub-Saharan Africa: A rapid review.Women and birth : journal of the Australian College of Midwives · 2023Review
- High non-compliance rate among presumptive tuberculosis cases referred from peripheral health facilities in silti district of Southern Ethiopia: a mixed methods study.Archives of public health = Archives belges de sante publique · 2023Article
- Impacts of COVID-19 on reproductive health service provision, access, and utilization in Ethiopia: Results from a qualitative study with service users, providers, and stakeholders.PLOS global public health · 2023Article
- The direct and indirect impact of COVID-19 pandemic on maternal and child health services in Africa: a scoping review.Global health research and policy · 2022Article
- Impact of COVID-19 on Health Seeking Behavior of Patients with Chronic Disease at Public Hospitals in Jimma Zone, South West Ethiopia.Risk management and healthcare policy · 2022Article
- Effect of COVID-19 pandemic on missed medical appointment among adults with chronic disease conditions in Northwest Ethiopia.PloS one · 2022Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
5 authors at 2 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
objectivesIn recent years, Ethiopia has made enormous strides in enhancing access to healthcare, especially, maternal and child healthcare. With the onset and spread of COVID-19, the attention of the healthcare system has pivoted to handling the disease, potentially at the cost of other healthcare needs. This paper explores whether this shift has come at the cost of non-Covid related healthcare, especially the use of maternal and child health (MCH) services.
settingData covering a 24-month period are drawn from 59 health centres and 29 public hospitals located in urban Ethiopia. PRIMARY AND SECONDARY OUTCOMES MEASURES: The primary outcome measures are the use of MCH services including family planning, antenatal and postnatal care, abortion care, delivery and immunisation. The secondary outcome measures are the use of health services by adults including antiretroviral therapy (ART), tuberculosis (TB) and leprosy and dental services
resultsThere is a sharp reduction in the use of both inpatient (20%-27%, p<0.001) and outpatient (27%-34%, p<0.001) care, particularly in Addis Ababa, which has been most acutely affected by the virus. This decline does not come at the cost of MCH services. The use of several MCH components (skilled birth attendant deliveries, immunisation, postnatal care) remains unaffected throughout the period while others (family planning services, antenatal care) experience a decline (8%-17%) in the immediate aftermath but recover soon after.
conclusionConcerns about the crowding out of MCH services due to the focus on COVID-19 are unfounded. Proactive measures taken by the government and healthcare facilities to ring-fence the use of essential healthcare services have mitigated service disruptions. The results underline the resilience and agility displayed by one of the world's most resource-constrained healthcare systems. Further research on the approaches used to mitigate disruptions is needed.
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