Abstract:
Control measures for the COVID-19
pandemic brought unprecedented challenges
to health care delivery. Some countries in sub-Saharan
Africa (SSA) stopped the
provision of essential health care except for those services that were deemed emergencies
or life-threatening.
A rapid review was conducted on March 18, 2022, on
the accessibility and utilization of antenatal care services in sub-Saharan
Africa
during the COVID-19
pandemic. PubMed, Google Scholar, SCOPUS, and the
World Health Organization library databases were searched for relevant studies.
A modified Population, Intervention, Control, and Outcomes (PICO) framework
informed the development of the search strategy. The review included studies
conducted within Africa that described the availability, access, and utilization
of antenatal services during the COVID-19
pandemic. Eighteen studies met the
inclusion criteria. This review revealed a reduction in access to ANC services,
an increase in the number of home deliveries, and a reduction in the number
of women attending ANC visits during the COVID-19
pandemic. A decrease in
ANC service utilization was reported in some studies in the review. Barriers to
ANC access and utilization during the COVID-19
pandemic included movement
restrictions, limited transport access, fear of contracting COVID-19
at the health
facilities, and facility barriers. The use of telemedicine needs to be improved in
African countries to allow for the continued provision of health services during
pandemics. In addition, there should strengthening of community involvement
in the provision of maternal health services post-COVID-
19
so that services may
be able to better withstand future public health emergencies.
