Study shows how African health services are handling disruptions caused by COVID-19

In our first episode, presenter Selly Amutabi brings you stories about how health services have been coping with disruptions caused by efforts to contain the COVID-19 outbreak.

We look into how COVID-19 has affected the prioritization of resources, such as reproductive health services.

In Tanzania, young women and men feel discouraged from collecting contraception from health facilities because of coronavirus infection fears and social stigma.

It hasn't been easy accessing family planning or any sexual reproductive health services, because of all the panic and all the tension over COVID-19."

Aisha Matiko, Restless Development, Tanzania

Reporter Sarah Natoolo visits a cancer treatment centre in Uganda and hears how patients are struggling to access treatment. Patients and doctors have been unable to travel to meet appointments due to lockdowns.

Josephine Ogiyo has breast cancer. She and fellow patients have been forced to sleep outside the institute, in the country's capital Kampala.

"We are sleeping under the veranda," she tells Africa Science Focus. "If it is raining we have to stand up. We have nothing, no clothes and no blankets."

"We only have one cancer treatment centre in the whole country," says Uganda Cancer Society executive director Paul Ebusu. "When the lockdown happened, you can imagine that all the patients across the country were actually stuck, so there has been a lot of distress among patients."

Comments

The opinions expressed here are the views of the writer and do not necessarily reflect the views and opinions of News Medical.
Post a new comment
Post

While we only use edited and approved content for Azthena answers, it may on occasions provide incorrect responses. Please confirm any data provided with the related suppliers or authors. We do not provide medical advice, if you search for medical information you must always consult a medical professional before acting on any information provided.

Your questions, but not your email details will be shared with OpenAI and retained for 30 days in accordance with their privacy principles.

Please do not ask questions that use sensitive or confidential information.

Read the full Terms & Conditions.

You might also like...
Incidence and risk factors of an invasive fungal lung infection among COVID-19 patients