Impact of COVID-19 Lockdown on Admissions to a Tertiary Maternity Hospital in Srinagar

Abstract

Introduction:The first case of new pneumonia of unknown origin was found in Wuhan (China) on December 31, 2019. The causative virus was identified from throat swab samples in the Chinese Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (CCDC) on January 7, 2020, and it was named severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2). Subsequently, World Health Organization (WHO) renamed it COVID-19. COVID-19 was a highly infectious newly discovered coronavirus, which led to a worldwide pandemic. It has shown an equal number of cases between men and women, but a lower mortality rate in women. Materials and methods: A retrospective observational study was conducted in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology of GMC, Srinagar, comparing the total number of emergency admissions including obstetric emergencies, such as ectopic pregnancy, intrauterine device (IUD), severe anemia, eclampsia, abruption, obstructed labor, and postpartum hemorrhage (PPH) during a period of 6 months from March 2020 to August 2020 with that from March 2019 to August 2019. Results: A total of 13,784 patients were admitted over a period of 6 months from March 2020 to August 2020, and there was a significant decline in the admissions as compared to pre-COVID-19 period of March 2019 to August 2019 (p-value, 0.007). Conclusion:The COVID-19 lockdown greatly reduced the rate of admission to gynecological and obstetric emergencies. This reduction allowed for more effective and efficient use of emergency services and will inspire policymakers to implement policies for efficient utilization of emergency services in the future.

Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on access to and delivery of maternal and child healthcare services in low-and middle-income countries: a systematic review of the literature

“…Overall, 14 studies reported data from four low-income countries ( 34–47 ), 21 studies were focused on 13 lower-middle income countries ( 48–68 ), seven studies were conducted in five upper-middle income countries ( 69–75 ) and three were multi-centred ( 76–78 ). Out of 45 included studies, 11 studies were cross-sectional ( 41 , 45 , 48 , 51 , 55–57 , 65 , 69 , 70 , 76 ), 14 were pre-post studies ( 34 , 38 , 49 , 50 , 52 , 53 , 56 , 62 , 64 , 72–75 , 77 ), nine were time-series ( 35 , 37 , 39 , 43 , 58 , 59 , 67 , 71 , 78 ), five were mixed methods ( 36 , 42 , 47 , 61 , 63 ) and six were qualitative ( 40 , 44 , 46 , 54 , 60 , 68 ). The included studies’ characteristics are summarised in Table 1 .…”

“…Overall, 14 studies reported data from four low-income countries (34)(35)(36)(37)(38)(39)(40)(41)(42)(43)(44)(45)(46)(47), 21 studies were focused on 13 lower-middle income countries , seven studies were conducted in five upper-middle income countries (69)(70)(71)(72)(73)(74)(75) and three were multi-centred (76)(77)(78). Out of 45 included studies, 11 studies were cross-sectional (41, 45, 48, 51, 55-57, 65, 69, 70, 76), 14 were pre-post studies (34,38,49,50,52,53,56,62,64,(72)(73)(74)(75)77), nine were time-series (35,37,39,43,58,59,67,71,78), five were mixed methods (36,42,…”

Mentoring of the Primary Health Centers by Obstetricians: A Novel Public Health Program from Tamil Nadu, India

“…A total of 82% of the PHC team was extremely satisfied with the mentoring provided, 16% were satisfied, and only 2% were neutral as shown in Figure 4. [9][10][11]…”

“…The COVID-19 pandemic proved to be a blessing in disguise in unifying the segregated units of public healthcare via technology and smartphones. 9,10 National Health Mission selected Tamil Nadu's "mentoring" concept as best practice and was published in The Hindu on 24 January 2021. 11 "Mentoring" has definitely helped in bridging the disconnect that existed between the field and institutional care for high-risk pregnant women.…”