TITLE:
The Effect of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Health Service Accessibility for Children under 5 in the Mayo-Tsanaga and Logone & Chari Departments, Far North Cameroon
AUTHORS:
Ulrich Dama, Desire Tchoffo, Jean Ndibi Abanda, François Anicet Onana Akoa, Alphonse Tedonge Asobochia, Melkior Fobasso Dzeuta, Aureol-Le-Rocher Ngako Njiacheu, Pierre Yassa Yoniene
KEYWORDS:
COVID-19, Impact, Health, Child under 5, Far North, Cameroon
JOURNAL NAME:
Health,
Vol.15 No.10,
October
10,
2023
ABSTRACT: Context/objectives: The COVID-19
pandemic has disrupted all programs, potentially impacting access to health
services for children under 5 years old. The Far North of Cameroon is one of
the northern regions with a prevalence of malnourished children ranging from 5%
to 10%. Due to the barrier measures implemented to combat the pandemic, many
parents are reluctant to take their children to healthcare facilities. Some of
these children were benefiting from the
Ambulatory Care Center (ACC) program prior to the COVID-19 outbreak. The main objective of this research is
to assess the impact of COVID-19 on access to health services for
children under 5 in the Mayo Tsanaga (MT) and Logone & Chari (LC)
departments. The implementation of barrier measures could significantly
increase the risk of malnutrition among children under 5 years old. Method: A cross-sectional analytical study was conducted in the MT and LC departments,
employing both retrospective and prospective approaches. Data was collected
through questionnaire, interview guide and a review of existing data prior to
the pandemic (DHIS 2). Kobo Collect software was used for data collection, and
R software was used for analysis. Results: Children who benefitted from
the ACC program during the COVID-19 period were found to have a lower prevalence
of malnutrition compared to those who did not benefit (OR: 0.09, CI {0.0 -
0.44}). Conclusion: COVID-19 has led to a decrease in the utilization of
health facilities in both departments of the study, resulting in an increase in
health issues such as malnutrition among children under 5 years old. Various
policies have been implemented to improve attendance at health facilities.