ArticleRisk management and healthcare policy2023
Impact of Hospital Closure on Patients with Communicable and Non-Communicable Diseases During the COVID-19 Pandemic in Uganda: A Cross-Sectional and Mixed-Methods Study.
Article in Risk management and healthcare policy, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 6 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
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6 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.
- The impact of COVID-19 on non-communicable disease patients in sub-Saharan African countries: A systematic review.PloS one · 2024Pooled it
- Resilience of health systems in Africa to infectious disease shocks: A qualitative evidence synthesis.PLOS global public health · 2026Article
- A longitudinal study examining determinants of essential health services during the COVID-19 pandemic in regional referral hospitals across Uganda.Scientific reports · 2025Observational
- Determinants maintaining healthcare personnel's motivation during COVID-19 pandemic in Uganda.Scientific reports · 2025Article
- Lessons for Strengthening a Resilient Health System from the View of Health Facilities During the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Qualitative Study.Risk management and healthcare policy · 2024Article
- Health-related quality of life and hypertension in people with HIV on long-term antiretroviral therapy in Uganda.PloS one · 2024Article
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Abstract
Background: The COVID-19 pandemic and its measures have had a profound impact on universal access to health services. We investigated the impact of the closure of the Entebbe Regional Referral Hospital (ERRH) for two years on the accessibility to necessary healthcare among non-COVID-19 patients. Methods: This mixed-methods study focused on ERRH patients with tuberculosis (TB), human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), diabetes/hypertension, and mental illness. A quantitative study used a structured-questionnaire with a primary outcome measure to assess the discontinuation of healthcare accessibility. A qualitative study with a focus group discussion (FGD) was conducted on eight patients. Results: Of the 202 quantitative survey participants, 17.8% discontinued necessary healthcare due to the ERRH closure, and the discontinuation rates differed by disease: 48.1% of TB patients, 16.0% of HIV patients, 7.8% of diabetes/hypertension patients, and 4.0% of mental health patients (P < 0.001). Almost 90% of the patients reported a worsened health condition, regardless of the disease. Multivariable logistic regression analysis showed that patients with diabetes/hypertension (adjusted odds ratio [AOR], 12.69; 95% confidence interval [CI], 2.57-62.52) and HIV (AOR, 7.52; 95% CI, 1.37-41.27) were more likely to discontinue healthcare than those with mental illness. The factors associated with discontinued healthcare included age ≥50 years vs ≤30 years (AOR, 4.88; 95% CI, 1.07-22.34), and high transportation cost vs low cost (AOR, 3.15; 95% CI, 1.13-8.75). The FGD also identified difficulties in obtaining medication, especially for TB, even though ERRH provided the outreach services. Conclusion: Our study revealed that the ERRH closure and lockdowns had an overall profound negative impact on access to healthcare and health conditions. Younger patients and those with TB were the most affected patients. This study provides practical suggestions from the field for policy makers to strengthen universal health access during health crises in Uganda and other sub-Saharan countries.
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