Objectives The aim of this study is to qualitatively investigate the lived experiences of mental health among frontline health workers providing COVID-19-realted care in Uganda. This study provides insights into the contextual realities of the mental health of health workers facing greater challenges given the lack of adequate resources, facilities and health workers to meet the demand brought about by COVID-19. Results All in all, our findings suggest that healthcare workers are under enormous stress during this pandemic, however, in order to effectively respond to the COVID-19 pandemic in Uganda, it is important to understand their challenges and sources of these challenges. The government thus has the reasonability to address most of the sources that were highlighted (long working hours, lack of proper equipment, lack of sleep, exhaustion, and experiencing high death rate under their care). Further, the Ugandan social fabric presents an opportunity for coping through its strong communal links and networks. Scaling these forms of local responses is cheap but contextually useful for a country with limited resources like Uganda.

Objectives The aim of this study is to qualitatively investigate the lived experiences of mental health among frontline health workers providing COVID-19-realted care in Uganda. This study will provide insights into the contextual realities of the mental health of health workers facing greater challenges given the weak healthcare systemResults All in all, our findings suggest that healthcare workers are under enormous stress during this pandemic, however, in order to effectively respond to the COVID-19 pandemic in Uganda, it is important to understand their challenges and sources of these challenges. The government thus has the reasonability to address most of the sources that were highlighted (long working hours, lack of proper equipment, lack of sleep, exhaustion, and experiencing high death rate under their care). Further, the Ugandan social fabric presents an opportunity for coping through its strong communal links and networks. Scaling these forms of local responses is cheap but contextually useful for a country with limited resources like Uganda.

Background While the debate regarding the usefulness of the lockdown goes on in research, it has been highlighted that this debate is pointless unless studies demonstrate to what extent people are actually abiding by the lockdown. Studies on factors associated with adherence of COVID-19-related lockdowns have largely been conducted in western countries. However, similar studies are still lacking in low income countries like Uganda. This study fills this gap by investigating factors associated with adherence to lockdown in Uganda. Methods A qualitative cross sectional survey was conducted online via the AfriSight platform with a sample size of 1249. These participants were selected randomly from all across Uganda. The data was analyzed descriptively and for inferential statistics we analyzed the data using probit regression. This allowed us to investigate the various motivations, socioeconomic, and demographic factors that help predict adherence or lack thereof to lockdown measures. Based on this probit analysis, we further generated marginal effects to ascertain the probabilities of adhering to lockdown. Results Our study reports the complexity that characterizes adherence to the lockdown in Uganda. Various socioeconomic and demographic factors particularly, age, gender, size of household, religion, income level, and employment status all seem to uniquely interact in shaping adherence behavior. Conclusion This study demonstrates that any lockdown-related efforts to minimize the spread of COVID-19 must pay attention to how these factors playout in the context of Uganda. Whereas most of the factors observed can more easily be handled in wealthier countries which provide social benefits during lockdowns, Uganda must rethink the uncritical adoption of such measures without localizing them. There is a need for Uganda to invest in a COVID-19 response that is alive to local context and reality, and one which commands wide support and adherence.

Background The onset of COVID-19 has led to people adopting either facility-based care or herbal medication. The Ugandan government allowed for this two-tier system of care, yet little is known as to why people during the COVID-19 choose the type of care that they do. There is also little known regarding the actual lived experiences of the people that choose facility-based treatment or herbal care. There is lack of evidence to understand the complex choices and experiences of people adopting either of the two options during COVID-19 crises in Uganda. This study attempts to fill this gap by investigating people’s experiences with choosing either facility-based treatment or herbal treatment. Understanding factors that drive the usage, fears, and trust of the population in different treatment options is necessary for the adoption of effective policy. Methods A qualitative study with a sample size of 333 was used for this study. Thematic analysis with the help of the Social Representation Theory (SRT) provided the basis of analysis. Results We set out to investigate people’s experiences and views regarding why they choose either facility or herbal based treatment against COVID-19. With the help of the SRT, the study showed that easy accessibility, affordability, trust in traditional knowledge and the official authorization of Covidex as factors leading to a positive perception of herbal treatments. On the other hand, the lack of regulation and a clear dosage as well as international recognition were found to create a negative perception of herbal treatment. Regarding facility-based treatment, the trust in the scientific development, regulation and international authorization as well as in the medical personnel could be identified as the main factors leading to a positive perception. The negative perception of facility-based treatment was mostly created based on the fear of side effects, the contraction of COVID-19 in the health facilities as well as the low accessibility and high costs. Conclusion Ultimately, our study provides evidence of how each type of treatment produces complex experiences among the population. Thus, this study defies any binary notions of “either good or bad” regarding the two types of treatment. Rather, our evidence shows the complexity in pull and push factors regarding the adoption of any of the two options. This means any policy on improving treatment of COVI-19 in Uganda must pay particular attention to how these factors interplay and interrelate.

Background The COVID-19 pandemic has increased the prevalence of mental health illness around the world. While research has espoused these realities from the context of western countries, however, similar evidence from low income countries like Uganda is still missing. This is despite the fact that scholars have pointed out that given inadequate funding, health facilities and personnel to treat people with mental health challenges, the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic could be severe. Further, it is still unclear how locals in low income countries like Uganda manage to cope with mental health challenges given the lack of adequate skilled response, especially during a pandemic that has increased the pressure on the healthcare system. Therefore, this study aims to fill this gap by investigating local people’s experience and handling of mental health burden during the COVID-19 pandemic n Uganda. Methods Qualitative primary data was collected from Uganda in November and December 2020. The sample selection involved a two-staged cluster sampling technique via the AfriSight online platform. Our study included a total of 1249 participants picked from the 4 different regions of Uganda. On the basis of this, thematic analysis was used to analyze the data. Results Our study revealed that the COVID-19 pandemic and its associated interventions contributed to the increasing mental health burden in Uganda. The four most pronounced forms of mental health illnesses included stress, anxiety, depression and traumatic disorders with the leading causes being closure of income-generating activities, fear of dying, sexual and domestic abuse. While a few people had access to skilled mantel health care, the majority of the people struggled to access this form of care. Skilled maternal care remained an attractive yet unattainable form of care for many. Thus, most people relied on various forms of local strategies that were feasible.Conclusion Our study revealed that Uganda was home to various local survival strategies that counter the inadequacies presented by the weak health care system. Particularly, a culture of reciprocity, family and community network forms important coping avenues for many left stranded by the lack of adequate skilled care. Thus, in the context of Uganda during the COVID-19 pandemic, it seemed more logical to promote scaling up feasibly and locally-available solutions rather than idealistically focusing on attractive yet unattainable forms of care.